Together Forever, Eternally Apart
by B.l.k.tyger
Summary: A Naruto fairy tale involving one perverted, genius jounin and a sweet, fiery tempered chuunin. Kakairu with hints of SasuSaku and NaruHina later. please review if you can!
1. Introduction

**Title:** Together Forever, Eternally Apart  
**Author:** B.l.k.tyger  
**E-mail:** PG13? Maybe R  
**Warnings:** Language, violence and hints of sadism, implied M/M relationships  
**Disclaimer:** I am a thief…I do not own any characters to the anime series_ Naruto_, by Masashi Kishimoto etc., the plot of Lady Hawke belongs to Richard Donner and Warner Brothers, though I may have tweaked it some. Come now, who thinks Iruka-kun is sooo much sweeter as a snow leopard then an eagle. And technically the idea to even do this was because of FarStrider, who wrote _West of the Sun; East of the Moon_…I just thought I'd do a Naruto version, because honestly, who doesn't love Kakashi and Iruka?  
**Author's Notes:** I'd like to thank my good good friend Alex. Because without her putting up with who knows how many questions and squeals and hopelessly inane chatter, I undoubtedly would have never got off my procrastinating but to actually write this.

* * *

_Shizune sighed quietly as she stood before the doors that lead to her patient. For the past 6 days, this door had always managed to send her into a depressed and saddened mood no matter what. Umino Iruka lay on the other side of this door you see, his pale body healing after a successful yet brutal mission and now the various instruments humming at his side supported his life. With Konoha trying to rebuild itself after the attack from Suna, the Godaime had little choice but to send out even the academy teachers out on mission to keep up appearances._

_ However, none of this was really the pressing matter to Shizune, not only did one comatose Umino Iruka lie on the other side of this door, but also the genius ninja, master of a thousand jutsus, the infamously lazy, perverted jounin Hatake Kakashi. There were many that did not know of the two lovers, only those who did were very close to them, not surprisingly, this included Team 7._

_Shizune gave another quiet sigh and slowly pushed open the door. The jounin had been by the academy teacher's side ever since the chuunin had returned, bleeding heavily and supporting his two teammates while barely conscious himself. He only left his lover's side for short breaks or necessary assignments, during which a member of Team 7 was always present. Kakashi had been one of the first to arrive at the hospital, straight from a mission, only coming in second to Naruto, the rest of Team 7 had followed merely seconds later and several of Iruka's former and current students quickly came as soon as he was announced stable for visiting._

_Currently, Iruka's room had nearly every square inch of its premises covered in get well cards, flowers, gifts and other things. Many of the gifts were obviously dolphin themed – the dolphin plushies were so numerous, Tsunade herself had ordered Kakashi to move them to Iruka's home - the sensei's favorite flowers, white lilies were the most prominent of items overflowed the tables._

_Kakashi turned to give Shizune an eye-curving smile as she entered, head nodding towards his lover, "I was just telling Ruka about my latest mission!" he informed cheerfully, the desperation and sorrow lacing his voice could not be concealed from Shizune's ears, clearly reading underneath the underneath_

I've tried everything to reach him. Please tell me he'll wake up.

_As Shizune busied herself quickly, checking over the monitors and Iruka's condition, the imperceptible shake of her head seemed to be an undoing for the infallible jounin as he visibly deflated. The great copynin sank slowly into the chair besides his comatose lover, silver hair dulling and lacking its normal gravity defying shape as it covered his lone dark blue eye. The raw power and unbridled skill that once emanated from the man seemed to vanish and all that was left was an empty shell of loss and despair._

_A deep sigh left his lips, muffled by the dark mask that clung to the bottom half of his face. Shizune turned a compassionate look towards the elder male and settled a hand on his shoulder sympathetically; "I'm sure…" she paused slightly, unsure whether it was wise of her to speak such hopeful words, "he'll come back to you." She wanted the young sensei back just as much as everyone else who loved the chuunin wanted him to._

* * *

__

___Kakashi glanced briefly as the door shut behind Shizune, automatically checking to see whether anyone else was coming around before pulling his mask down. At this point, it wasn't like he cared very much about who saw his face, however, he remembered Iruka telling him that he liked to think he was the only one who got to see it. Which was quite true, Kakashi had only ever shown Yondaime-sensei and Sarutobi-sama his face before he met Iruka._

___The jounin sat up straighter at the thought of his sensei and he leaned on the bed beside Iruka, hand gently caressing the side of his lover's face, "You know Ruka-ru? Sensei told me this story once, right after…" Kakashi swallowed hard and shook his head, "after I got the Sharingan." He glanced away abashedly, "I have to say I thought it was cheesy love story, but maybe you'll like it. You seem to like all that romance stuff. Which, as said," Kakashi chortled lightly "I don't see how you can _not_ like Icha Icha." _

___Taking a deep breath, Kakashi squeezed Iruka's hand tightly and began the story his beloved Yodaime-sensei once told him._

_"Once upon a time…"_


	2. Chapter 1

**The Fairy Tale Begins**

A lone dark blue eye swept across the cityscape, the face it was thus attached to followed it as he stood atop a cliff looking down upon the hidden village of Konoha. The figure itself would have been unremarkable were it not for the dark black mask that covered half the man's face and the silky matching scarf that obscured his left eye from view.

Surprisingly, a bright red scarf wound itself about the young man's neck, like a bright light hung upon an otherwise darkly lit street, it's color enhanced by the heavy black cloak that draped across a set of hunched shoulders. It was winter in Fire Country, a most odd statement it would seem, but the land was blanketed warmly in the pure white frosty breathe of the heavens.

The masked figure watched as two small figures used a passing wagon to slip unnoticed by the gate guards and out of Konoha's gates. The heavy ringing of the bells, accompanied by the hoarsely stricken voices of the prison guards confirmed the success of the two escapees. The cloaked figure crouched down, a calloused pale hand reaching out as a magnificent snow leopard padded up to his side, leaning against him and rubbing the rich spotted fur of its chin insistently against his hand.

The male chuckled, "Now now, calm down. It seems we've found our miracle, or should I say miracles," he murmured, fingers scratching the sturdy large head, trailing across smooth velvety fur of the feline's back. The large cat arched his back with the hand that slid over him and purred contently, spotted tail swaying happily. The observer shook his head lightly and glanced towards the direction the two escapees had gone and chuckled, "Let's go get you're favorite food then."

Ichiraku was a well-known establishment across Fire Country. Though it was a small open aired restaurant and could hardly cater to more then a crowd of ten, there wasn't any other place that could match the chewy goodness of their ramen. Patrons came from all over the country for the savory taste. Several hooded figures, braving the chilly winds of winter were huddled around small tables barely sheltered from the snow by large straw umbrellas. They warmed their hands reverently about the hot bowls of soup.

Two young boys, dressed in tattered looking clothes that seemed much too large for either of them. The blonde jumped onto a bench and looked around with a grin, the surly dark haired youth trailing behind him rolled his eyes, "Oyaji! Two of your largest bowls of pork ramen!" he announced enthusiastically.

The elderly cook's pretty daughter made her way over, slender hand held out towards the pair, "Money?" she asked sweetly, however threatening undertone silenced any thought of even daring not to pay.

The blonde swallowed a bit nervously and scratched the back of his head, but the dark haired boy beside him wordlessly pulled out a hefty purse of coins and shook it lightly "I think this should cover it." He smirked surperiorly.

"What are you celebrating?" The cloaked figure sitting at the table beside them, his voice startling the two as they turned their attentions to him.

The darker haired boy narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the man, but his blonde companion announced rather proudly, "We, my friend, are celebrating two who have escaped from Hokage's dungeons and lived to tell the tale."

"Do I hear false claims from you boy? No one escapes Konoha's dungeons!"

The young blonde stomped his feet angrily at the cloaked man, "I am no little boy! And I do not lie!" he shouted vehemently.

The black haired boy beside him widened his eyes and reached out to grab his friend's arm much to late. Several of the men seated at the tables around them removed their hooded cloaks to reveal the uniforms of the Hokage's personal guard, ANBU. Their masked faces most notable among the dark features, armor glinting in a sinister manner under the dull light of day.

"You made two mistakes, you little thieves: one, staying in the woods would have been a good idea, you might still be free; and two, you definitely shouldn't have stolen Yoroi's money purse." The Captain of Hokage's personal ANBU team rolled dark grey eyes behind the mask as said man twisted around to pat himself down. The silent amused tilt of the other masked men was the only indication of emotion from the normally still guards.

The dark haired boy gave the blonde a look that quite obviously said, "I told you so." The two bolted in different direction in a blur of orange and blue. Chaos ensued. The guards were hard pressed in maneuvering about the overturned tables and umbrella unlike the much smaller and lithe bodies of the twelve year olds.

However, despite this, they were still at a disadvantage in numbers and it wasn't long before the two were hanging between the arms of several guards. "I'm sure we've all had our fun and games, but it is time for you two to die, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke." The man raise a kunai "We can't have anyone spreading word that the inescapable prisons of Konoha are escapable now can we?"

Both boys held their breathes, awaiting the deathblow when a lazy voice floated in the air accompanying the ringing clang of metal against metal, "Kabuto, considering how much Konoha has fallen under Orochimaru, I'm not surprised he made you Captain of ANBU." drawled a tall, lanky man. He was garbed all in black and the only color that stood out was the shock of white hair on his head and the bright red scarf wrapped about his neck.

As Sasuke and Naruto opened their eyes, they looked upon their savior, kunais crossed in front of them. "Still picking on the weaker too I see." A single blue eye bore down upon Kabuto before sweeping momentarily over the rest of the guard, "The same sorry lot too." He mocked openly, voice soft and yet commanding.

"It's Sharingan Kakashi," several awed voices could be heard from the normally silent ANBU guard, "The Hound of Konoha has returned." It was said with the sound and looks of awe, respect and fear. In the tension mounting in the eating area, no one took notice of the two thieves slipping out of their holds and sneak off to their freedom.

"Hatake Kakashi. Dosu told me you'd been sighted in the area. I should have him killed."

"I should have killed you when you first showed your ugly face in Konoha."

"You can go ahead and try now if you can Hatake." Kabuto scowled, leaping forward at the other man. Kakashi leapt back nimbly, hands finishing the necessary signs for summoning as soon as he landed. The ninja slammed his gloved hand onto the flat surface of the ground and in a plume of smoke, eight ninken of various sizes and breeds were streaking out, causing the rest of the guards to scatter like leaves in the wind. Kakashi smirked as he retreated in the direction of the two escapees, eyes never leaving Kabuto.

* * *

_  
"I know you three are there." Kakashi turned to the door, lone eye curved in a smile. The dark mask had returned to its customary place already as the three stumbled into the room sheepishly._

_"I wanted to see Iruka-sensei! But no, Sasuke had to go and call me 'Dobe' and I was like 'Teme' and then Sakura heard us and kicked us out!" Naruto burst out, having already squirmed his way over to the other side of the bed by the academy teacher. Of course nothing escaped Kakashi's keen eye as he noted that Sasuke was holding Sakura's hand as they entered the room behind him. The young avenger seemed to have noticed the jounin glance his way and grunted, releasing Sakura's hand immediately._

_Sakura gave a small pouted in Sasuke's direction as he moved to the windowsill. It quickly turned into a growl as she moved to stand by her teammate, her fist flying down over Naruto's head. _

_"And I only let you back in because you said you'd be quiet! This is a hospital, patients need rest!" Smiling sweetly back at Kakashi and blushed slightly at Sasuke, her hand brushed back a few stray strands of pink hair, "Kakashi-sensei could you please continue the story? We'd love to hear it and I promise we won't be any trouble again."_

_The smile was hidden beneath the dark mask, but his Kakashi's students knew their sensei well enough to know it was there. "Maa…if you really want me to." The jounin leaned back in his chair, arms reaching out for a quick stretch. "Find yourselves a comfortable spot to settle." He motioned towards the few extra chairs that were littered with a vase of flowers or two._

_As Kakashi leaned back forward, hand slipping back into Iruka's lifeless hand, warmed by the heat of his body, his voice continued a bit more strongly then it had before, despite the presence of the mask now muffling the sound some._

* * *

"Another time, oh mighty Captain Kabuto." Kakashi lifted two fingers to his forehead in mock salute, the barks and growls of his ninken coupled with a few surly screams filled the background, "I've got two destructive boys to catch right now." Kakashi grinned, eyeing the immediate area with a low whistle. It had meant both for his summons as well as the amount of damage that had hit the place. 

"You fools!" Kabuto hissed, "After them!" that seemed to break whatever enchantment their former Captain cast upon them as guards scrambled after the three retreating figures. Naruto and Sasuke swore, urging their legs to move faster into the safety of the forest. They both yelped in surprise as a pack of dogs swept them off their feet, the two largest snagging them by the back of their tattered shirts as they leapt upwards into the treetops.

Kakashi ran slightly behind his pack, single eye glancing back as a large snow leopard darted between their closest pursuers, claws extended. He gave another sharp hasty whistle, urging the feline back to his side. As if hearing his thoughts, the white leopard seemed to pause mid-jump, fleeing back to his side just as they entered the cover of the forest. Kakashi could not help but let out a sigh of relief, glancing wryly down at the smirking snow leopard, "Why are you always trying to play hero?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Bring Me the Snow Leopard.**

Kabuto Yakushi stood silently by the door, motionless save for the rising and falling of chest. The newly appointed Hokage, Orochimaru roared in a rage at the news of the two escapees. "Kabuto!" he screamed furiously, "What is the meaning of this news?"

The specialized medic nin knew Orochimaru was justified in his anger. However, his opinion of the man did not change. The snake-like man was just that, a conniving sly and spineless villain with now real power. The news of escape was a blow to Orochimaru's pride though and Kabuto knew he was about to bring the man to a completely new level of rage.

Kabuto kept his head low, hiding the sneer that had snuck its way onto his face. Orochimaru had been nothing, a genius cast like a rag doll. It had made him furious and he'd plotted and plotted. Now, now after the untimely death of the previous Hokage, Orochimaru was finally in his rightful and most deserving place. At least, it had enabled his rise in power.

"We had the boys in our grasps Hokage-sama."

"Oh? Then why do I not see their lifeless bodies before me?"

"Hatake Kakashi has returned." Kabuto stated as plainly and swiftly as possible. His grin widened at the fleet stricken look in Orochimaru's eyes. No one knew what had really happened. Only that the Hokage wanted the man dead for taking something precious from him. "The two boys are with him. I have sent my most trusted men into the forest to search for them."

"And the snow leopard?" Orochimaru suddenly asked. The tone in his voice was indescribable. Kabuto frowned inwardly, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the tone, but he could still hear a hint of fear. It was preposterous; this leopard could not be what Hatake had stolen from the Hokage.

"Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto ventured cautiously, not quite sure what the man wanted.

"Hatake travels with a majestic and rare snow leopard. Bring the feline and kill Hatake if you can," Kabuto growled low at the insult, "kill the boys as well, but if I find that snow leopard is dead. There will be a new Captain in your place, seeing as you will be rotting in some alleyway. Understood?"

"Crystal." Kabuto grit his teeth, despite the Hokage's words being true, he could practically feel the anticipation, fear and lust coming from the snake-like man.

"You are my eyes and ears in Konoha, Kabuto. My most trusted servant as well, I know you will not fail me. You may take your leave now." The Captain of the ANBU bowed low, a sinister smile gracing his lips, "Before you go, Kabuto, find me the wolf hunter Mizuki and send for him."

"As you wish Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed once more and disappeared into the shadows as silently as he had come.

* * *

With his keen sense of smell, Kakashi could easily smell the smoke of a small cottage. Of course, the snow leopard at his side had probably smelled it a mile away. He had sent his summons away after they'd successfully lost track or at least confused Kabuto's men in the woods, however, Kakashi knew they would be on their tails soon enough. "We're resting in the cottage ahead." 

"Finally!!" Naruto yelled out loud, hugging the large feline that padded at his side. After the initial fright of seeing the snow leopard, both boys had deemed it friendly and Naruto had become especially taken with it. Sasuke glanced to the sky, "It's still light out." The young thief pointed out bluntly, weary of the men who were out to kill them, unlike his blonde friend.

"It'll be quite cold out tonight and I prefer a roof over my head." Kakashi retorted to the little smartass. "Plus there are all sorts of dangerous forest spirits just waiting for unsuspecting little children to trick and feast upon." The silver haired shinobi looked down with all the seriousness in the world at his two charges. The only hint of amusement that could be seen was a certain glint in his eye, but they didn't know him well enough to pick that up in the lone eye.

Sasuke and Naruto snorted at that statement, blonde flinging and accusing finger towards their savior, "LIAR!" he shouted. Kakashi chortled for a moment and shrugged, "Well there is also the matter of wolves roaming about too. You can go on ahead if you like."

Naruto swallowed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Hey, I didn't say anything against staying at the cottage!" Sasuke merely turned his head away and ignored the two.

Kakashi blinked, "Suit yourself." He hummed, turning to the two boys and a stern eye in the direction towards the snow leopard, "You three stay here, I'll handle this." With that said, he sauntered up to the door of the cottage, rapping upon the wooden door twice.

"Danna-sama!" A young man, looking only a few years older then Naruto and Sasuke opened the door. Though the young man that stood before him with short, choppily cut black hair and bandages wrapped numerously about his arms, there was a look in his eye that immediately put Kakashi off. A young girl, presumably the same age with much longer black hair, flowing to her waist and gathered into a tie somewhere in the middle sidled up beside her partner with much too sweet of a smile, "What can we do for you Danna-sama?"

Kakashi slouched, giving off an air of incompetence and naivety as he rattled off his request; "My two chares and I are in need of a place to shelter from the harsh winter. We will only be here for one night."

"Why of course, children most definitely should not be left outside in conditions such as these!" the young woman gushed, the two delicate little bells hanging from her earlobes tinkled at the movement, calculating eyes peering towards the three figures in the distance. Kakashi mentally noted that she was much to eager to open their homes to him, but put if off in favor of a warm place to stay. "You can stay in our barn, it maybe not be much, but at least it provides some shelter." She continued with a smile and a motion towards the structure before shutting the door.

"Why do we have to do all this stuff!" complained Naruto, loudly. Kakashi rubbed his ear, ignoring the complaint as he read, a minute or two later glancing up blankly at the boy, "Huh?" Naruto tossed the armload of firewood to the ground and started ranting about lazy and annoying people who did nothing but sit on their asses and read porn.

Kakashi stared back into the disapproving glare of the snow leopard, "What? I saved their lives now didn't I? Aren't I entitled to some lazing?" he scoffed back at the feline. Sasuke and Naruto glared at Kakashi, but he shrugged them off, picking up his pack he had been leaning on. With a whistle, he started heading out the barn, snow leopard trailing at his heels.

"OI! Where do you think you're going!" Naruto spun around to face the darkly clothes man.

"A walk. I'm going to take a look around, make sure ANBU have lost off our tails."

"The sun is setting, there isn't any point. They won't able to see much in the dark." The smartass Uchiha pointed out much to Kakashi's chagrin.

"It never hurts to take precautions." The Sharingan Kakashi emerged, all playfulness dropping from his single eye and even the air seemed a bit colder. However, just as quickly it was gone and Kakashi's eye curving into a semi-circle, "Make a small fire, stay in the barn and keep an eye out. Never know when the forest spirits will come around."

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke stared at the two retreating figures, one in frustration and the other in annoyance. After a few hours of staring through various cracks, a howl echoed into the night as the moon slowly crossed the sky. The two boys started when a flicker of a shadow caught their eyes. Fear welled in both, though only one showed it, "S-Sasuke?" Naruto shifted closer to his best friend. 

"Quiet." Sasuke hushed quickly, yanking the blonde down to the floor and hurriedly put out the fire.

"We should make our move now Zaku!" the conniving tone of the young woman could be heard through the spaced walls of the barn. "Sharingan Kakashi has yet to return, it will be easy. We take those two brats and he'll be eating out of our palms!"

The two young thieves gave each other a glance and scowled towards the woman's word choice. Sasuke was sure he'd have to slap a hand over Naruto's mouth, but even the blonde knew to keep silent.

"Then we can kill the fucking bastard!" the young man's voiced echoed the woman's with an extra amount of glee to it.

Sasuke had started inching his way for the door; his foot landed on a dry leaf, the crackling noise of it crunching beneath his weight was like a firework in the silent night. Two sets of eyes widened before a blue of orange and blue streaked the remaining few meters to the door. "Fuck Kin, after them!" the suspicious couple shrieked, darting after the two boys headed for their cottage.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out as he fell to the ground, tripping over a small ditch. His dark haired friend spinning around with wide eyes as their hosts honed in on the blonde, murderous glint in their eyes.

"KAKASHI!!" the name of their savior came unbidden from the dark haired youth's lips, Sasuke found himself blinking several times, not quite believing it. Both boys shut their eyes; dread filling both their hearts. An unearthly scream echoed into the sky and Naruto and Sasuke stared at the largest grey wolf they'd ever seen.

It had lounged at Zaku, sharp canines sinking into the man's jugular as if it were ripping through paper. His head moved back and forth, shaking the man's body like a rag doll and tossed it into the air. The man had been dead the moment the wolf had struck, his body splayed red across the ground, painting it an unearthly red color.

They turned tail and ran back for the barn, slamming the doors shut and leaning back against it, their heavy panting interrupted by a second scream. A shudder ran through them both as they slowly peeked through the cracks.

Sasuke blinked and peeked a glance outside cautiously; Naruto copied his movement and ended up gawking at the sight of a young brown haired man strolling towards them. "OI!" the blonde hissed, "Are you crazy? There's a wolf out there!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, did that man not hear or see all of that or was he just stupid? A frown set into his features as the wolf turned, trotting towards the barn, pink tongue licking the blood of its muzzle. He could see it crouching low to the ground, slinking closer to the unsuspecting man, reading to spring onto its next prey.

Naruto burst out of the barn doors, Sasuke's frantic fingers just missing the hem of his too large clothes, "Idiot!" he hissed.

The thieves stared at the scene before them, expecting a horrifying show of blood, gore and guts. They were frozen in place by the bewildering sight. There was no blood, no screams of terror, merely a young man dressed in green rolling around in the dirt with the large grey wolf like it was a puppy!

"Cut that out you crazy wolf! That tickles!" the mysterious man laughed, it was cut off abruptly as the wolf ended its game and bounded towards the two boys, still as statues in their place, "Hey, where you going?"

Naruto and Sasuke yelled and streaked back for the barn, their hands reaching to grab whatever they could as a weapon. "Stay back! I-I'll kill you!"

The brown haired man gave Naruto an amused look, his gaze trailing to the bucket in the boy's hands and raised an eyebrow, "Oh?" he questioned, not pausing in his stride as he walked passed them and to dropped a pack to the ground. More specifically, it was Kakashi's pack, but neither boy noticed this.

"You two must be hungry." He sent them a warm smile as he reached into the bag. His hand came back out and with it, a most delicious smell. "How about some ramen?" he chuckled, noting the hungry look that had taken the young boys eyes.

"Y-You must be those forest spirits Kakashi was talking about! Trying to trick us!" Naruto shouted, though his eyes were still trained on the takeout bag of ramen in the caramel skinned stranger's hands.

Now neither boy knew what a forest spirit looked like, but the earthly glow that surrounded the man seemed to give some allusion to one. It was an ethereal sort of feeling, his soft brown hair swaying gently in the breeze, raggedly cut ends stopping just at his shoulders. He wore a simple green shirt and black trousers, but he seemed to make it look anything but plain in the way he stood. His posture so straight and calm, very much like the men and women of higher status. Wide brown eyes blinked in confusion for a moment before shutting half way and that same heartwarming smile lit upon his face, "Umino Iruka, nice to meet you. Do I look like someone who would harm you?"

Sasuke glared suspiciously at Iruka and then settled his gaze on the wolf, "You don't, but that thing does." He grumbled accusingly.

"It won't hurt you or Naruto, Sasuke."

"Did you not see what it did to those other two?"

"And what were they about to do before I arrived?"

"But-"

"Would you rather you both be dead now?"

"No…" Sasuke finally conceded, Naruto had already received his bowl of pork ramen, so he took the bowl offered to him as well with a weary sigh. The large wolf had padded past the boys to sit by Iruka, tongue hanging from its sharply adorned jaws as if it were laughing at them.

"Aren't you going to give your wolf something to eat?" Naruto piped up curiously, a hint of fear lacing his voice; "He might get hungry…" he trailed off.

Iruka laughed, body trembling in amusement, "Oh he'll find something to eat on his own." He grinned at the scowl the wolf sent him.

Sasuke straightened in his seat suddenly, "Wait a minute. How did you know our names? How did you know about the food in Kakashi's pack? Just who are you really? Where did you come from?" he demanded

"You're not really a forest spirit are you? Is this one of those things where you have us dreaming the same dream so that you can trick us both?" Naruto added, an odd sort of excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Iruka chortled, slurping the ramen daintily. He licked his lips and gave the boys a much more devious grin this time, the wolf seemed to mirror it as it turned its gaze towards them.

"Of course you're dreaming Naruto-kun." His warm earth brown eyes twinkled in the moonlight, "So why don't you two go back to sleep now."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Ahh…it seems I have been asked a question that may be on the tip of several people's tongues. What is it that changes Iruka into a snow leopard by day and Kakashi a wolf by night?

Not to worry my dears, those shall be revealed quite soon, perhaps I might even drag it out a bit, keep you questioning for another chapter or two. Hehe…it will all be explained sooner or later.

* * *

** Their story**

"Rise and shine my little sleeping beauties!" Kakashi's much too cheerfully voice echoed in the early morning air. His eye was once again curved in its usual half-moon as he beamed down at the two thieves, huddled subconsciously together during their sleep.

"We wouldn't want to be caught by the Hokage's ANBU now do we?" The silver haired man's voice got a bit edgier as he yanked the warm blanket that had been draped over Naruto and Sasuke. He was crouched by the two boys, making a mental check of things he had need to do for the morning, but waking the boys seemed to be the last on his list.

"Too early." Naruto moaned, turning to curl closer against the source of heat beside him. Sasuke on the other hand had snapped both eyes open at the sudden realization of whose body was snuggling up against him and immediately shoved the boy away in panic.

"Teme! What the hell was that for?" Naruto shrieked

"Dobe." Sasuke grunted in reply, ignoring the rest of whatever his blonde friend had to say. Never the less, both were up on their feet soon enough. Sasuke pausing wearily by the door, "That couple…" he murmured, sparing a fleeting glance outside.

"We should run along now children." Kakashi hummed, merrily making his way out the barn, the snow leopard loping by his side easily.

"B-But he said it was a dream!" Naruto spluttered, staring at the bloodied earth. It was a sorry sight to see and not one he wished to look upon so early in the morning. He and Sasuke hurried to catch up with the silver headed man, "I don't get it! Where did he go? Was he really a spirit?" Naruto muttered in confusion, mostly to himself.

Kakashi's keen ears however, easily caught the words and he grinned in a way that suggested he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask and was merely humoring the poor boy out of sheer amusement. "What's this about spirits Naruto? Did something happen while I was out?"

Sasuke gave a snort, obviously showing that he had never believed the other man to be a spirit. Though he was curious as to where this man had disappeared to, along with the large grey wolf as neither was to be seen. And where had Kakashi been all this time?

"I'm telling the truth when I tell you this Kakashi-san! I wouldn't lie about this, I swear it was a forest spirit!" Naruto's voice carried on rather loudly and excitedly as he retold the events of the past night. Several exaggerations were thrown into the story, only to have Sasuke comment with a few tidbits here and then, generally shooting down whatever claims the blonde made.

"Forest spirit?" Kakashi interrupted, "Start from the very beginning." He commanded, amusement twinkling in the unfathomably dark blue eye.

"I'm not lying Kakashi bastard!"

"Never mind that, just go on." The lanky traveler waved his hand in a bored fashion, effectively cutting off any reply Naruto had been about to give.

"As I was saying," Naruto started, "After you left, we heard that weird couple talking. They heard us, because Sasuke-teme was stupid and made a noise."

"Dobe, At least I was trying to get out, you were just frozen to your spot like a baby."

"Teme!"

Kakashi interjected at this point, each hand grabbing the two boys, holding them an arm's length apart, "Now now children, that's enough. Naruto, continue with your story please."

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, "Anyway, that crazy couple were going to kill us and they were chasing us. Almost killed me to, but then this HUGE grey wolf got to him! Tore his throat right out like it was nothing! It was like a demon or something, it had to be! So me and Sasuke ran for the barn."

Naruto paused here, shaking slightly as the memories of last nigh replayed in his mind, "That wolf went after the girl too. But then this brown haired guy comes walking out of the forest all carefree and like! And I was thinking, does he not see that demon out there?"

Kakashi blinked several times, laughter welling in his chest, threatening to erupt from his mouth, "I didn't notice anyone else around and I don't see any body with brown hair."

"That's because he didn't get eaten! That demonic wolf started playing with the guy like some little puppy! And they just walked into the barn, totally ignoring the fact that me and Sasuke here were totally ready to fight if we had to." Naruto rattled off, ignoring Sasuke's amused snort because the blonde had omitted the fact that he'd grabbed a bucket for a weapon.

"He took out ramen from a pack that looked a lot like yours Kakashi-san." Sasuke suddenly spoke up, eyes staring straight at the man, "In fact, he knew our names too. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you? Is that man after us or something?"

"Now Sasuke, did this pair…this forest spirit and his wolf, did they harm you two in any way?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow, twisting his head to get a good look at the two boys.

Sasuke seemed to frown even further and Kakashi was sure he was trying to fuse them together. "Well, they did kill that couple…"

"But that crazy couple tried to kill us!" Naruto interrupted loudly, after all, he was the one who'd almost been sliced in half.

"Either way, I'm sure it was me there after." Kakashi tore his eyes from his book and craned his head upwards to view the sky, beneath the dark mask, he seemed to sniff the air, but neither boy could really tell, "Maa…let's take a break soon. It's going to snow. Plus I've covered our trail, so Kabuto's incompetent men should be far behind us."

"Snow?" Naruto blinked, he thought the weather seemed quite nice considering it was winter, but Kakashi had been rather right about last night's chill. His face flushed when he recalled the position he'd woken up in.

"You do not like Kabuto." Sasuke stated curiously.

Kakashi growled, pausing before a clearing that he deemed fit to rest upon, "Kabuto is traitorous fool who will take any chance that pops up to bring him higher up in the world. In any case, he is in the way of my mission, so he will be eliminated soon enough." Kakashi snarled.

"And what is your mission?" Naruto piped up, curiosity at its peak.

"To free Konoha's people."

"Ha. Why should you help them? They are nothing but two faced liars, hiding behind an innocent façade."

Kakashi blinked at the sudden anger emanating from his two charges as they moved to help set up camp, "Explain."

Naruto grabbed several pieces of kindling of the ground, dumping them roughly in a pile, "I'm an orphan. I've never known my mother or my father. When I was seven I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and all of a sudden, everyone hates me! No one cared about me, they always tried to hurt me and the only way for me to survive was to steal clothes to cover my body and food to fill my own belly!"

"Wrong place, wrong time?"

Sasuke spoke up this time, his voice quieting as he recalled the unhappy events of his life, "The Uchiha massacre. My own brother killed my entire clan. Naruto showing up there was the only reason why I'm still alive and yet the entire city blames him. They look down upon me as well for hanging around him as well as the shame my brother placed on my family's name."

"Ah….I remember this massacre." Kakashi's voice was heavy, watching the two boys with an indescribable look in his eye, "Orochimaru will pay for his actions. I found out that he murdered the late Yondaime. He only seeks power and now that he has it, he is abusing it in the worst way. And he will pay for the actions he has taken. I will deliver his punishment myself."

"And how exactly are you going to get into Konoha and be close enough to do that?" Kakashi grinned cheerfully, looking pointedly at the two thieves.

"Why I have you two of course!"

"Oh no." Naruto backed up a step, blue eyes wide, "There is no way I'm going back there, NO WAY!"

"You two got out, you can help me get in." Kakashi didn't blink, "Was everyone in Konoha really so horrible to you two?"

Sasuke flinched at the question, "We…we do have some friends." He looked away, "They are in the prisons."

Naruto shook his head, "No way. No, no way. I don't want to leave them there either, but I'm not going back in now. I just got out, they'll kill us on the spot!"

"You don't have a choice because I'm not giving you one." Kakashi stated in a seemingly bored tone, however there was something else in eye.

"You may have saved our lives and I'm in debt to you for it, but you'll have to kill me if you want me to go back there." Naruto edged for an escape, only to be cut off as a kunai was suddenly buried to the hilt in the trunk of the tree before his face. The blonde swallowed and grinned weakly towards Kakashi. "I'm ahh…just going to get some more wood."

Kakashi beamed innocently, even as the snow leopard curled at his side looked up reproachfully at him, "Excellent idea! It's going to be pretty cold tonight!"

* * *

Night came quickly. Along with it came the biting chill that often accompanied the first winter dusting. The small crystalline pieces of ice covered the brown earth, bringing its own natural beauty in the eerie darkness of the forest. Moonlight reflected off the snow, creating a sparkling earthy version of the sky. 

In the distance, a lone wolf howled and Iruka crouched behind a bush as he prepared himself. "There!" he hissed quietly, dashing from his spot to ambush the rabbit as it appeared.

A look of pure joy crossed the brown haired man as he raced through the trees. He reveled in the wind blowing past his face, his hair had been twisted into a ponytail by a hastily made tie.

Just as he caught up with the rabbit, Iruka was about to throw his kunai when a shout startled both predator and prey. He looked up to find Naruto and Sasuke tied to the upper branches of trees.

"Ano…Mr. Possibly Forest Spirit sir? Could you please help us down?" Naruto cried out. Sasuke snorted, wriggling in his bonds.

"Kakashi must love you guys." Iruka laughed, hands reaching up for a branch to swing himself up.

"Not funny! We've been up here for hours!" Naruto whined indignantly.

"He's going to get made at me for sure, but then again I can't leave you two here all night and he knows that." Iruka hopped up onto their branch as he reached over to release the knots.

Sasuke grunted as he dropped to the ground, ignoring Naruto's following yelp, "How do you know it was Kakashi that put us up there?" He crossed his arms, "It could have been Kabuto's men."

Iruka laughed, puffs of steam floating into the air like clouds, "Please, ANBU would have killed you. Kakashi's the only one who'd do this entirely for its entertainment purpose." He turned to face the two boys with a grin. "Plus, he's the only one who--shit."

Iruka "Kashi us going to kill me now." He groaned, finding both boys had disappeared from sight.

* * *

Orochimaru stalked across the room, yellow snake-like eyes narrowing in anger, "This will not due Mizuki. I do not tolerate failure." He smirked as the hunter's body tensed in fear. 

"I've killed a large amount of wolves Orochimaru-sama. I can't kill every fucking wolf in Konoha." Mizuki snarled angrily. Orochimaru frowned at the display of impudence, but he couldn't very well kill them silver haired man.

"I don't want every damn wolf killed. I want one." Orochimaru turned to face out the window, "A young man, kind and innocent, hair and eyes the color of bittersweet chocolate. He has a scar that runs across the bridge of his nose. He travels by night for the moon is his sun."

The Hokage smiled, "His name is Umino Iruka. Find him and you find the wolf. A large gray wolf not seen in these parts, the wolf that loves him. Kill that wolf and you will be rewarded with riches you have never seen the likes of."


	5. Chapter 4

**Youthful Encounter**

Morning found Hatake Kakashi crouched beside the ropes he'd used to tie the boys with. His expression was indescribable as he stared at the rope in his hands. In his peripheral view, the snow leopard slunk at the edge of the clearing, nearly camouflaged against the snowy backdrop left by last night's snowfall. Guilt was plastered in every movement and feature of the feline.

"They're not here." He stated calmly and the leopard gave a feigned growl of agreement. "Still going to act innocent about all this?" The snow leopard took a seat and blinked round coal black eyes up at his owner. "Well?" The feline dropped to his belly and rolled over, all four large paws hanging lazily towards the sky. "I figured as much." Kakashi gave sigh, "Now I have to go catch them little dolphin."

Kakashi let out a yelp as he felt teeth close around his gloved hand. He retracted the hand and waved them in the air in appeasement, "Maa, maa…no need to get rough." Sinew muscles rolled as he rose to his feet and glanced to the footprints left behind. Kakashi lazily strolled onward, the snow leopard falling into step beside him.

* * *

"Dobe, this is your fault."

"Shut up Teme! I didn't see you saying no to getting away from Kakashi."

"Oh, so you would have listened to me if I told you not to go?"

"Do be a good little fox and tell us where Sharingan Kakashi is." A hoarse voice rasped, littered with several coughs, the pale hand that followed it slid upwards along the blonde's neck, tilting his head towards a pale face.

Sasuke glared daggers at the man, looking ready to kill the man if only he weren't tied to a pole in the middle of a village. It was just there luck to be caught by this bony, long haired freak with Orochimaru's symbol plastered over the back of his Konoha. Then there were the man's five other lackeys, though only two were with him at the moment.

Naruto blinked innocently up at the man, "You mean a lazy ass, perverted, one eyed, mask wearing guy dressed all in black with a bright red scarf? Never heard of him, should I have?" He suddenly scowled, "And don't call me a little fox!" The hand tilting his chin up became a much firmer, harsher grip and Naruto couldn't help but wriggle in his binds.

"Young boys like yourselves should learn not to underestimate your opponent. Especially those you've been captured by." The bone-white haired man looked down emotionlessly at Naruto, "Many have done so because of this cough. All are dead now." The hand released the boy's head slowly, "I am Kimimaro Kaguya. Orochimaru-sama values my fighting ability to such respect that I am ranked just below Kabuto. And once I kill Hatake Kakashi, I will probably take Kabuto's place as Orochimaru's right hand man. So I'd like to remind you two to mind your manners." Kimimaro smirked, "Plus all I have to do is wait and the so esteemed Sharingan Kakashi will come to me. After all he abhors leaving friends behind. All my men and I have to do is sit right here and wait for him to come find _you._"

In hindsight, it was probably all Naruto's fault that they were caught, Sasuke surmised. If the blonde hadn't decided that his grumbling stomach was more important then escaping then they wouldn't have ended up in the village in the first place.

Sasuke sighed, of course with their luck, Kimimaro and his men had been in the village and forcibly coerced the villagers to catch the two thieves before they themselves were kicked out as well. Some part of Sasuke wished for Kimimaro to be wrong, though he didn't think too highly of the man, since he read _those_ books, but he did owe him his life.

* * *

The eye of heaven sat upon its almighty throne when Kakashi finally showed his face in the village. Well, showed what little bit of his face that could be seen. Naruto had already gone hoarse complaining about thirst and everything else he normally complained about. But when their silver haired savior strode lazily into the village, snow leopard weary at his heels, they quieted immediately. Kakashi's single blue eye took a sweep of the abandoned village, suspicion and paranoia rising in his eye right away.

Kimimaro stood beside Naruto, a sharpened femur bone held against the boy's throat. Sasuke had watched that particular bloodline with grotesque interest for a reason he himself didn't know. "Hatake-sama, we've been waiting for _hours_ for you to get here." Kimimaro's sickly voice rasped. Kakashi merely raised an eyebrow, a quick flick of his wrist sending the snow leopard to slink off in the shadows despite its snow coat.

"Maa…I got lost on the road of life." Kakashi's customary smile took place, the inverted 'U' of his eye curving into existence.

"Such excuses," The bone white man tutted before shrugging, "Kabuto is a weakling, by the time his little ANBU squad gets here, I will be taking his place with your head as a gift to Orochimaru-sama." Kimimaro grinned as he pulled out another sharpened femur bone from his leg, his bloodline replacing its loss instantly.

"I think I'll take your pretty little pet with me too." Sasuke hadn't seen Kakashi move, but the large bodied guard who'd been working his way up behind him suddenly had a kunai protruding from his throat. As the guard gurgled, blood spraying into the air, Kakashi launched himself away as several bone projectiles were sent his way.

He was a fraction too slow as two of the projectiles pierced his shoulder. Landing in a defensive crouch, Kakashi took stance, left hand wrapping around the wrist of his right as he gathered chakra. Having used this technique so many times, it wasn't long before the sparking crackle of electricity flit through the air. Sasuke vaguely mused at the sound, comparing it to the chirping of a thousand birds, not that he'd ever heard that many birds crying out at the same time before in his young life.

The chidori did take some amount of time to form though and it was in this short amount of time that a redheaded bow-wielding female, the only female guard in the group stood before Naruto, bowstring taut as she looked for an opening.

Kakashi was moving forward at an impressive speed, becoming but a blur of silver, black and blue. Naruto's legs kicked out at the honorless guard just as the snow leopard leapt from the shadows. The two boys watched in horrified triumph as the arrow strayed from his intended target only to strike harshly into the body of the feline. Its snow-white body jerking in midair with a pained roar as it dropped to the ground.

Kakashi's attack hit home, slamming into the chest of Kimimaro, leaving nothing but a gaping hole where his heart had been. Three more kunai found their homes in the throats of two unsuspecting guards, one of the female, the other two in the twin males moving for the struggling leopard.

The silver haired shinobi hurried to the snow leopard's side, voice filled with warmth and tenderness that neither boys could quite believe it. A pair of guilty blue eyes, threatening to spill tears started to clench together. "Shh….you're all right, no one I know is more stubborn then you are." Kakashi murmured in reassurance. No one could tell it he was talking to himself of the feline.

As Kakashi carefully placed the snow leopard on his cloak, he eyed the sky, calculating the position of the sun. A kunai sliced its way through the thieves' bindings, "I'm so-" Naruto began to wail. Sasuke slinked closer to the feline to see if it was all right.

"Just listen." Kakashi growled, bringing his hand to swipe across his bleeding wound, "Take the leopard and continue along this road. An old monastery lies up ahead and a man with his apprentice by the name of Maito Gai resides there. I'll warn you now that he's different. Give him the leopard and he'll know what to do. I'll stay here to create a diversion for anymore guards coming."

"The cat won't make it." Sasuke found himself with a rather uncomfortable weight on his arm as it was twisted behind his back and something sharp against the back of his throat, never mind his face in the dirt.

"Not another word." Kakashi growled, "I didn't leave you to die, don't even think about doing so here. This leopard _will_ be in the care of Maito Gai before sunset." He pulled back quickly afterwards, hands moving in the standard seals for a summoning jutsu. The pack of ninken from earlier stood around the boys again, "Be careful and know that if you fail, I _will_ find you." Kakashi didn't need to finish the threat as he deposited the boys with the leopard, "They will protect you and guide you." The silver head motioned to the pack before turning away. As the two boys left, Kakashi was in the expected slouch, though his head was raised high, lone blue eye watching the falling sun.

* * *

In Naruto's opinion, the sun set way to fast. But he'd made it to the monastery in good time. Sasuke had actually been the one muttering under his breathe whenever the injured feline nipped him. "Ano sa! Ano sa!" Naruto jumped forward, "Is anyone home? I was told to bring you this injured snow leopard!"

Both boys were startled, the cat rolling his eyes as a loud voice boomed like a sonic wave across the empty building, "What Youthful Displays of Vigor and Benevolence! Taking such a Noble Wayward Pilgrimage Through Unspeakable Perilous Obstacles in Search of My Humble Abode! Youths Such as Yourselves are the Buttresses of this Moldering Edifice We Call Our Planet! I Will Gladly Accept the Daunting Task of Giving Healthful Rejuvenation to this Uncia Uncia for My Most Esteemed Rival!"

Blue and black widened at impossibly sizes, each had one hand raised as they shielded their eyes from the blinding figure in bright green spandex and brightly flashing teeth. The snow leopard gave a pained moaned at the obnoxiously loud and flowery vocalization of one Maito Gai.

Sasuke and Naruto tried to comprehend the words once more before Naruto piped up curiously, "Ano…whose this Esteemed Rival?" he asked, confusion evident in his expression.

"Why it is The Highly Revered Hatake Kakashi! Man of One Thousand Jutsus, The Sharingan Kakashi, The One and Only Copynin!" Another loud voice burst from their left as another green blur appeared next to the previously shouting green entity.

Sasuke groaned, "Look, we just came here as asked so that you could take a look at the leopard!" he nearly shouted in frustration.

The man dressed in green seemed to sober up some as he beckoned the two, "Ah yes! Quickly, this way." The two disappeared into the monastery, up a flight of stairs, "Place him here. Lee! Get me the necessary materials from the kitchen!"

Lee, the mini version of Gai saluted before dashing off at quick speed. As the two boys lay the snow leopard down, Gai nodded towards them, "I will take care of things here. You two may rest in the guest room. Lee will show you the way."

Frowning, the two thieves were about to protest, however Lee had already come in and were gently guiding them out as Gai shut the door.

"Fuck! Sorry Gai-san, but this really hurts! I'm not some fragile doll! Just pull it out already!" A voice yelped out not a moment to soon, Naruto and Sasuke shared a look. It was a hauntingly familiar voice. Both boys pulled out of Lee's grasps to peek through the crack of the door. In place of Kakashi's snow leopard was their previously acquainted friend that Naruto has so dubbed as the 'Forest Spirit.'

Sasuke took not that the arrow had pierced the brown haired man's chest, relatively close to the heart, around his neck was a silver chain, the one that had once hung about the neck of the snow leopard.

In the dying light of day, a wolf howled.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** Ahh….so sorry, almost lost inspiration to continue. Had a few midterms to attend to and now I'm set right back on track. This was by far a most difficult chapter, what with the story in a story in a story and then having to revise the fairy tale just right in order to make sure it was err…ah…Naruto-y. And Thank You to those of you who have reviewed my story so far.

* * *

**Truth**

Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but gape as they stared through the crack in the door. Two pairs of eyes widened to impossible widths as they stared, the cogs turning in their head as they processed the information. The obnoxiously loud man was pouring something abominable potion down the throat of the brown haired man, said man hacking up curses and irritable splutters.

"What the hell was that Gai!" The muscled man grinned and gave Iruka thumbs up while his other hand kept the injured man lying still.

"It Is My Most Ultimate Super Potion of Health!" Gai was beaming, literally, "It Shall Rejuvenate Your Youthfulness Through undisturbed Slumber!"

Iruka growled as he swatted Gai's hand away, "I am not a child. Nor am I so fragile that I need to be taken care of!"

Gai seemed to quiet as he stared soberly at the young man, "Just relax Iruka…it won't take long and you won't feel a thing."

Iruka deflated, headed lolling back against the floor, "Sorry, just take it out. It hurts." A wide yawn escaped his lips as he glanced up sleepily. Gai nodded, tenderness that did not seem befitting of the man as he swept Iruka's brown hair out of the way.

The formerly self acclaimed Green Beast of Konoha set himself into a comfortable position as he began sorting various items from his bag. His large hands set about cut cloth and mixed various herbs before checking his patient once more to see that he'd truly fallen to a blissful slumber. The process took little time as Gai snapped the barbed head of the arrow and slid the shaft out, dressing it with the various herbs and wrapping it up with the cloth.

Settling on his heels, Naruto and Sasuke didn't know what hit them until their ass hit the ground with a yelp, Maito Gai towering over them with an eye-blinding grin, "Now that I have Finished the Task of Healing Young Iruka, I May Finally Inquire You of Your Youthful Names!"

The two thieves swallowed and stared before Naruto blurted out his thoughts, "Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke….W-What the hell is going on? Who are you? Who _is_ Umino Iruka? And what happened to Kakashi's snow leopard?"

Gai dropped the act all of a sudden as he looked solemnly down at the boys, eyes turning in sympathy towards the sleeping brown haired man, "I, my Youthful Friends, am Maito Guy, once known as the Green Beast of Konoha. That is my Youthful Apprentice, Rock Lee."

The Green Beast slowly shut the door behind him, heading for the old decomposing stairs, "And you, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke have become an unfortunate character in a truly tragic tale of classic romance." He murmured heavily as he began to prepare a meager meal for his guests.

The two boys settled themselves at the table situated in the center of an old kitchen, the smell of rotten hay and mold filling the air. Naruto watched in anticipation as Sasuke frowned, "What are you talking about?" he demanded in his bewilderment over the strange statement. It didn't make any sense at all.

Another howl could be heard, this time the wolf sounded much closer and the dark haired boy's eyes widened in as the dots connected themselves, "If Iruka is the snow leopard….then that must mean the wolf is…" his murmurs trailed off as Gai turned around and set two bowls of soup before them.

"Eat." Gai commanded, "Perhaps if Your Youthful Minds can forget all that you've seen thus far, you will be able to escape this hopeless fate."

Sasuke shook his head adamantly, "No. Tell me how this can be."

"Very Well, a brave soul indeed. Remember that is was by your choice that you wanted to hear this tragic and most sorrowful tale. Now whether you wish it or not, you are not lost in this fairy-tale like the rest of us."

"I remember the first time I met Iruka." Gai glanced outside, a bit lost in his reminiscence, "Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, was Hokage of Konoha and I was one of his personal guards."

Naruto had finished the measly meal and had joined Sasuke in rapt attention, "Ten years ago, when Iruka was fourteen, Umino Iruka was brought to Konoha by his great-grand uncle, Sarutobi-sama, an official sent by the Daimyo as a military consultant. Iruka's entire family died in a bandit attack when they were traveling from Wave Country to visit Sarutobi-sama. As his only remaining family, the boy was placed under his care."

"Even then, everyone knew the boy would grow up to be handsome; he was charming, friendly, hard working and endearing to the point of being labeled cute by both male and female peers. His was a truly open personality: he talked to civilians as easily as he talked to shinobi, and he had friends everywhere. He was the type of person you could tell your deepest darkest secrets and trust that he'd never tell a soul no matter what. However he had a mischievous streak and stubbornness ran strong in his veins, and on top of all that, he had a quick temper. Speculation and bets prospered amongst the shinobi ranks as to whom the boy would choose to bestow his love someday. I think that we all tried to attract his attention in subtle ways, but he remained willfully oblivious to any attempt to catch his notice."

"Iruka-san sounds really really awesome! Everyone likes him!" Naruto piped up in admiration.

"That he is," Gai chuckled, "And on that note, I believe there was in fact one person who was not charmed by this young man. His name was Hatake Kakashi, the captain of Konoha's elite, ANBU. He was Yondaime's most trusted and strongest shinobi, whom he had trained himself with two others. But that story is for another day." Gai waved his hand distractedly for a moment before continuing.

"As Yondaime's most trusted, Kakashi was placed in charge of training young Iruka in the ways of the Shinobi. Now Iruka was an intelligent boy, he was a quick study and had in fact mastered the basics and knew them like the back of his hand. Coupled with a creative mind, a bi-product from his prankster side, Iruka excelled enough to be ranked at least a Chuunin. But that was as far as he could go, Iruka did not have the chakra and killer instinct to go on any further. The boy enjoyed teaching the younger generations and doting over them causing much strain between Iruka and Kakashi. Because of this, I often overheard Iruka complaining and ranting about how nothing he could do ever pleased Kakashi. But you had to admit that there was some sort of grudging respect between them."

"Yondaime was a good Hokage, beloved by all his people and as it was, he destined to give his life for them when the Kyuubi attacked. I would like you to take in mind, that Yondaime was very sick upon his battle with the Kyuubi. And as he had no heirs that were known of, no one was sure who would become the next Hokage. It was during this time, five years after Sarutobi-sama and Umino Iruka arrived in Konoha, that Orochimaru came to be appointed as Hokage by the Daimyo."

"Not all who seek power deserve it: Orochimaru was one such person." Sasuke and Naruto shifted reflexively at the hard look that passed over Gai's features, "He was an intelligent man, rumored to have been a genius. He had great skill, but he was a power hungry fool who looked for nothing but the rise of his own strength and authority. Orochimaru had called Sarutobi-sama into a meeting to discuss the military state of Konoha, for he had plans to expand his power. It was then that he set his eyes upon Iruka for the first time and envisioned a great use for the boy. Perhaps it was something about Iruka that intrigued Orochimaru's interest, but what it was, no one would ever know."

"Orochimaru's interest quickly became an obsession as he observed the boy. He sent invitations into the jounin ranks, despite Iruka not having the qualifications for it. He would make offers to teach him complicated jutsus and advanced fighting techniques. They were all tuned down by Iruka who had no such desires but to be with the children and teach. This angered Orochimaru, finally making him vow that he would make Iruka's his by any means possible."

"Sarutobi-sama was the first 'accident' to strike. He was sent out of Konoha as ambassador to Wind Country and was found dead days later, within the borders of Fire Country. Iruka was forced to leave his teaching duties and return to the Hokage Tower, taking his uncle's place as advisor. Friends were harassed, sentenced to jail or death for no reason at all. Knowing this all to be Orochimaru's doing, Iruka could not bear for his friends to be hurt and immediately allowed himself to be under his care."

"What! That's horrible! How could he do that!" Naruto shouted angrily, jumping to his feet, "That's not how a Hokage should be!" Gai sighed in agreement.

"That is very true Naruto, however there isn't much that can be done against the Hokage's orders. It is a shinobi's duty to obey his leader. Orochimaru was proud to have his wonderful new 'student'. And most of us were proud of Iruka at first. Even if Orochimaru was not entirely a good man underneath, he was a skilled and powerful shinobi. Iruka never spoke of what Orochimaru did to him and thus, none of us could help him. But nothing could stop us from noticing how wrong things seemed to be. Iruka, who had once been everyone's sunshine, his presence alone could bring a smile to people's faces, was suddenly becoming quiet and withdrawn. The glow that had once emanated from him was utterly gone and all that was left was a broken light."

"When does Kakashi come into all this?" Sasuke suddenly demanded. The words had spilled from his mouth without his knowledge and he looked away in embarrassment.

"I'm getting there." Gai chuckled after raising one bushy eyebrow and the stoic young man, "Orochimaru had been replacing important positions in Konoha with his own cronies and sycophants. Unfortunately, Kakashi's position as head of Konoha's elite shinobi made it impossibly for Orochimaru to get rid of him and he despised the man because of this. Not only did he hate Kakashi, but he feared him as well because Kakashi was everything Orochimaru was not: unequivocally honest, unwavering, and superior in his actions."

"All of Iruka's remaining friends were worried about him, but it was Kakashi who figured it all out and he didn't need his genius for it either. Iruka, who had tried so very hard at everything he did, began to grow listless and apathetic towards his teachings. Kakashi had confronted him about it, asking him how he could protect his precious people if he could not even defend himself. Adding perhaps a bit harshly because of his own experiences, that people who left their precious ones behind were trash. Iruka, instead of normally snapping and infuriated retort back had actually ignored his words and left. Curious beyond belief at this sudden change in behavior, maybe worried some, Kakashi immediately set out to investigate and discovered the truth."

"Kakashi spoke to Iruka about this truth, and Iruka, desperate to see no more harm come to his friends, forced him to promise not to tell a soul. Kakashi was placed in a complicated predicament. On one hand, what Orochimaru had done made him trash and according to his Way of the Shinobi, he should have killed the man for the better. But Orochimaru was currently Hokage of Konoha, a title to which he'd sworn absolute loyalty. Several plans flit through his genius mind and Kakashi ended up secretly gathering evidence about Sarutobi-sama's murder and it had inevitably lead him to the planned poisoning of Yondaime as well! Armed with the necessary information to take Orochimaru down, Kakashi was headed for the Daimyo himself with his quandary. Informing Iruka of his plans, he was halted by Iruka's pleas to come with him. Unable to ignore the doe-eyes sent his way at point-blank; Kakashi decided to take Iruka with him."

"Iruka was glad to leave Konoha, though he was worried that he had to leave his friends behind. As a good friend of Iruka's, he told me that he was leaving that morning, however he did not tell me where he was going or why. And as I was still unaware of his dilemma, I merely wished him luck and happiness in our farewell. I thought nothing of it again until Orochimaru asked me where he was. I told him that he had left with Kakashi and the man went insane! I'm not sure what he thought, but he cursed then and there that Iruka was his and his alone. His next step was irrefutably the most reckless thing I've ever seen and even now, three years can hardly believe it." Gai's voice sounded strained, as if trying to cover the horrified tone.

"W-What did he do?" whispered a wide-eyed Naruto.

"He summoned Konoha's Biju: a demon who watches over the city. Orochimaru probably figured out that Kakashi had found out what he was doing to Iruka and knew that Kakashi would only make a move if he had evidence against him. In frustration and fury, he struck a bargain with the Biju, Shukaku, and he spat out a terrible curse: for as long as the sun rises once in the day and sets once a day, for as long as they both shall live: Iruka is the snow leopard by day and Kakashi the wolf by night. Bound together forever, but eternally apart for the rest of time."

"See, if Kakashi and Iruka had been outside of Fire Country's borders, the curse would not have taken effect. However, as you can see, the Shukaku's curse is at work." Gai nodded with finality, signaling the end to the story. Naruto and Sasuke were sitting quite still as they stared at the green garbed man with horrified fascination. The howl of a wolf echoed again, this time extremely close to the monastery.

"Do they know?" Sasuke suddenly spoke.

"Do they know what?"

"That you told Orochimaru."

"Yes." Gai's voiced dropped to a whisper, the sound didn't fit the man, nor did it seem possible for him to make such a sound, "After what I'd seen. I could not work for Orochimaru. I left Konoha in secret and found Kakashi. I told him everything that I'd seen and he told me part of the tale I told you. I began wandering the countries for ways to break the curse while Kakashi took Iruka into hiding. You see…there is one way for the curse to break: if one of them is to die, then the other would be freed and Orochimaru has never stopped trying to kill Kakashi."

"There's another way to break the curse?" Naruto asked curiously.

Gai hesitated before nodding slowly, "Yes, I think I have found a possible method, but it will be difficult…" he trailed off, rising to his feet as the black wolf silently padded past the door of the room and began limping up the stairs. Naruto and Sasuke trailed after Gai as they followed the wolf up the stairs and watched from the doorway as he collapsed on the futon. The slender muzzle shoved itself into Iruka's ear, lean body curling into the hollow of the injured man's body. The brown haired man let out an involuntary exasperated groan, hand swatting at the nose sleepily before affectionately embracing the wolf.

* * *

The grey haired hunter, Mizuki sat in an old tavern, drinking bitter sake and cursing fate. "Stupid Orochimaru, stupid wolf. A wolf is a wolf, who cares what it looks like." He grumbled drunkenly. "Stupid hunt better be worth it or I'll…" He stopped himself with a swing of the rest of the sake; even this far from the city, you never knew when someone was listening. He turned unfocused eyes around the tavern once time, not seeing anyone with brown hair and eyes or a scar over the bridge of his nose, he stood up and left. Outside, he checked over his wagon full of pelts, making sure none were missing, before getting on. Giving his horse a harsh stinging whip to the rump, they were off into the dark night.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait! Tyger got distracted and all...hehe...oops! Well, here we go! Tyger does apologize for Gai...not sure if she got him right, lol

* * *

**The Hunt Begins**

Iruka woke up to the sounds of angry and annoyed growls, which in all cases concerning him, wasn't that unusual. The frantic sounds of objects crashing on the ground, cursing, scraping furniture and shouts of "Youthful Energy" weren't all that unusual either. However the cacophony of sounds put together made him bristle, brown eyes snapping open in vague amusement and annoyance.

"My Eternal Rival! You Have Injured Your Youthful Self!" Gai's shouts assaulted his sensitive ears, "We Must Assist In Your Youthful Rejuvenation! My Youthful Apprentices! Perhaps It Will Be Easier To Grab Him In The Corner!"

Iruka groaned, raising a hand slowly to his eyes as he turned over to watch Gai and the three boys attempting to corner the snapping and snarling wolf with various household items, including a fork.

"What is this nonsense!" Iruka roared, the patented Umino-glare settling around the room as he tried to sit up, the brown haired man ended up groaning again. Silence fell upon the room suddenly as four pairs of eyes turned slowly towards him, "I know at least one of you should know that cornering a wolf is a good way to get your throats torn out. And you, Hatake!"

Iruka turned his glare up several volumes on the silver furred wolf, "You know you aren't going to harm them, so stop making so much noise."

Four pairs of eyes turned sheepishly away, glancing back only as Iruka lay down again, "Now someone inform me what is going on?"

"He was injured fighting Kimimaro." Sasuke stated, sounded the smallest bit miffed.

"We wanted to see if we could do anything to treat the wound!" Naruto interjected worriedly and Gai and Lee nodded in agreement.

"You got hurt?" Iruka asked, concern rising in his voice, even the pitch of his voice rose slightly as his eyes looked the wolf over. Said wolf heaved a long-suffered sigh, "Did you ask politely to help him?" Iruka turned to Gai, whose mouth dropped straight down and his eyes widened comically as the thought. Naruto giggled at the sight.

"I, Maito Gai Wish To Apologize To My Eternal Rival! Fair Iruka Is Absolutely Correct And Insightful! So May We Assist In Your Healthy Rejuvenation!" Gai beamed in standard Good Guy Pose #6.

Kakashi cringed, bi-colored eyes squeezing shut at the display and promptly turned his back on the spandex wearing man, limping to sit by Iruka. Iruka gaped, Umino-glare on the prowl and solely focused on the wolf this time.

"Damn it Kakashi! Gai is trying to help you! He's your best friend for God's sake." The injured man struggled to sit up again, but Gai's large hand pressed him firmly back down.

"Iruka is correct. But I don't think Kakashi has forgiven me just yet." Murmured a suddenly quieted Gai. The wolf twisted his head slightly around, glancing at the taijutsu master through a scarred blood red eye.

"He knows it's not your fault. You didn't know." Iruka whispered.

"But I should have known as your friend. Eternal Rival! Shall You Allow These Brave Youths To Assist You?" Gai turned with a slightly less, though beaming none-the-less smile towards the wolf. Kakashi snorted in derision at the question, but did not object out right. Naruto looked absolutely horrified.

"Whoa! I don't know anything about medicine!" Naruto scooted around Sasuke, the dark haired male raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Fear Not Young Ones! I, Maito Gai Shall Teach You Want To Do! And Youthful Lee Shall Assist You As Well!"

"Yosh!"

"B-but…" Naruto whined, shirking further behind Sasuke. Crisis averted, Iruka dozed off into slumber. He was awakened some time later by a cold, wet, nose being shoved into his ear.

"Go away…" Iruka moaned, not bothering to open his eyes, as he knew it was Kakashi. He could distantly hear the other three leaving the room. "I said go away. I'm not talking to you." Kakashi whined pitifully, dropping to his belly as he wiggled closer, nose worming its way under the coverlet. "You were rude to Gai-san. Sleep on the floor."

The silver furred wolf was now sprawling itself over the brown haired man, long pink tongue licking away at the side of Iruka's face, several nips added into the assault.

"Hey now! No biting!" A resigned sigh escaped his lips and Iruka was lifting the covers to let the wolf scramble in, "I'm still not talking to you." He huffed, watching Kakashi turn in circles several times to find just the right place he wanted and fit himself into Iruka's body.

Warm, satisfied and comfortable, the two were both asleep within a few moments.

* * *

"I can't believe the bastard did that!" Naruto howled, wincing when Lee poked at the wound as he examined the injured hand. "He's a total ass as a wolf or a man. I was just trying to help!" Lee smiled.

"Gai-sensei's Eternal Rival Is Was Only Warning Brave Naruto! Your Youthfulness Surprised Him After All!"

"I told you I didn't know about wolves! Why couldn't Sasuke-teme do it!"

"He didn't even break the skin. You're not bleeding to death or anything dobe." Sasuke snorted, grimacing a slight bet when the foul smell of the concoction Lee was rubbing on his blonde friend's hand hit his nose.

"The Youthful Kakashi-san Was Trying To Get You To Stop, Naruto-kun!" Gai burst out with a cheerful grin.

"Why are you even defending him? He was even ruder to you!" Gai shook his head with a frown.

"Kakashi and I have been Eternal Rivals for a very long time. We understand each other and perhaps I should have known. We both want what is best for Iruka and I'm willing to accept any challenge my Eternal Rival gives to me!"

"What is it with you and challenged anyway?" Naruto rolled his eyes, an exasperated sigh following.

"It Keeps Us In The Springtime Of Our Youth! Now Rest Noble Naruto and Sasuke!" Gai leapt to his feet with Lee.

"Hn…"

"Night Gai, Lee…"

* * *

Kabuto dismissed the guard by Orochimaru's door with a curt nod. He pushed the door open quietly, walking into the dimmed room with impudence. His audacity didn't matter: he knew from experience that the Hokage would be too _busy_ with _other_ pursuits to notice him.

However, the Hokage's subject of the night looked over at him from the table and whimpered, his blood rushing through his body in pain. Kabuto smirked as Orochimaru responded to the sound by petting the bound and gagged boy like a cat.

Kabuto didn't bother hiding the sneer in his voice as he made Orochumari aware of his presence. "I see you've got yet another little pet to play with." Orochimaru turned away from the boy, sitting up straight.

A scalpel was clutched in his hand, completely ignoring the groaning young man in front of him; his racing heart and sadistic grin proclaiming to Kabuto that he was indeed enjoying his new torture subject. Kabuto hid his smirk with a bow. Orochimaru was always experimenting with immortality.

"I left orders that I was not to be disturbed tonight," Orochimaru informed the Captain of the Guards. "Tell me Kabuto, why shouldn't I have you killed and replaced?" Kabuto debated whether he should continue to tease the Hokage, but decided that the news he carried was much too important to indulge in petty gamesmanship.

"Forgive me, Orochimaru-sama, but there is news."

"Kimimaro is back?" Orochimaru asked with an expectant voice. Kabuto frowned slightly at the Hokage's favoritism, before smirking again.

"No my Hokage-sama, Kimimaro has not returned as of yet," he said evenly. As if his sickly, time-limited rival could actually kill Hatake, he thought with a small grin. Sending Kimimaro after the former Captain of the Guards had been a stroke of genius on his part, since it got rid of his main rival without him having to dirty his hands.

"Then why the hell are you disturbing me this time?" Orochimaru snarled in a futile effort to hide his annoyance from Kabuto. The medic nin specialist decided to get directly to the heart of the matter.

"We've just received a messenger pigeon from the Daimyo. He'll be in Konoha by the end of the week. It seems that he wishes to see how Konoha has been faring and he is coming to discuss this with you _personally_."

"Damn it!" the Hokage cursed as he stood, placing the scalpel back in the metal tray beside him. "He must suspect…Kabuto, go wait for me in my study. I'll join you there shortly. I have some _business_ here that I need to take care of," he said with a pointed look at his bound companion, who was watching them with wide fearful eyes. "Oh, and have the one guarding my door tonight publicly humiliated for disobeying my orders."

Kabuto bowed himself out of the room. Orochimaru's appetite for cruelty was becoming legendary in Konoha. He almost felt sorry for the guard and the doomed boy. The guard had only obeyed an order from his superior officer. As for the Hokage's…_pet_, not only had he the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, hearing things not meant for his ears, but he was also not who the Hokage really wanted. Kabuto frowned as he made his way to the study. He knew that Orochimaru would soon be sending him to find another toy to play with.

* * *

The early morning light filtered through the snow flurries settled over Kakashi's features. Not even the cream colored peasants' kimono or the black mask was enough to hide away the worry as he watched Iruka pouncing on field mice in the garden.

"I almost started to think you'd died Gai." He spoke without looking at the wanderer. "There are times I want to kill you, but I am grateful for everything you've done." His head tilted slightly as the snow leopard finally managed to catch its prey, tossing it into the air playfully before eating it. "You said that you found a way to break the curse?"

"Yes; that is, there is a chance for the curse to be broken, if the conditions are right," Gai said softly, his eyes also on the eagle. Kakashi noticed that Gai's extremely loud and flowery speech pattern had disappeared.

"Well, what have you found?"

"Empress Tsunade ruled Japan for thirty-six years. Her reign saw the writing of the seventeen-article constitution and the promotion of Buddhism. This monastery itself dates back to her reforms. During her reign, China diplomatically recognized the country for the first time, and according to the histories, there was a flowering of culture unlike any that had preceded her reign or since."

"This ancient history lesson is extremely fascinating, but what does this have to do with the here and now?" Kakashi said in a bored tone of voice.

"She was an important person, Kakashi; so important that when she died, a Biju hid the sun to announce her death to the whole of Japan. On that day, there were two dawns, and two nightfalls…" Gai murmured, trailing off.

"Maa. So it is possible for the curse to be broken. We just have to wait for the death of an important person?"

"No. I wouldn't have called you here if that were the case. I've met with a traveling Chinese scholar, an astronomer, and he assures me that in four days time, a day with two dawns and two nights will occur. If you and Iruka can face Orochimaru in Konoha as human beings on that day, the curse will end," Gai said quietly.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Where's the catch, Gai? You said 'if'." Gai sighed and looked away sheepishly.

"I didn't tell you this before, because at the time, it seemed impossible that we would be able to meet the first condition to break the curse. But now…"

"There was a second condition?" Kakashi glared, his hand unconsciously reaching for absent kunais.

"Yes, there was. On the day of the eclipse, in order for you to both be human at the same time, you must truly love each other," Gai whispered. Kakashi's hands tightened reflexively into fists.

"I know that you love him, Kakashi. Your actions yesterday prove it. If you had let Iruka die, then the curse would have been broken. You would have been free. It is Iruka's feelings toward you that I'm unsure of."

"So. You lure us here with hope just so you can watch it die. I'd thought better of you Gai." Kakashi raised his hand and whistled. The snow leapard lifted his head from his meal, trotting over to Kakashi's side.

"Take care of Iruka," Kakashi growled, wrapping Gai's hand around the silver chain. "I'm sure that's what you always wanted," he pushed his way passed the wanderer and into the building.

"My Eternal Rival, where are you going?" Gai yelled at his retreating back.

"To Konoha, to kill Orochimaru," Kakashi replied icily.

"You can't! The curse will never end if you do that!" There was no answer but the banging of a door against its frame, and soon afterwards, the familiar puff of a teleportation jutsu.

A few moments later, Naruto, wiping the sleep from his eyes, stumbled onto the terrace. He found Gai sitting, holding the snow leopard by the silver chain, tears sliding down his face like waterfalls.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Goodness...it seems Tyger is on a roll today, lol. Two chapters uploaded in one day?! Wahh...

* * *

**Located Prey**

"What just happened?" Naruto pretty much shouted his question at the wanderer, who appeared to be holding on to the snow leopard for dear life as Iruka's paws swatted at him around the head. "Where's Kakashi going?"

"Calm down, Iruka," Gai spoke to the leopard weakly, ignoring the boy. "We won't let my noble Eternal Rival kill the evil of all evils, Orochimaru!" The snow leopard continued to growl at him, but slowly stopped trying to swat at him. Naruto watched the scene with growing unease, even as Sasuke made his way in.

"What do you mean; you won't let him kill Orochimaru? Wasn't that the plan, to kill the Hokage, something about worthless trash? But I don't understand why Kakashi would just leave Iruka here." Sasuke watched as Gai's eyes widened in realization.

"He left even after I told him that killing Orochimaru would mean that the curse couldn't be broken. He told me to take care of Iruka…My Eternal Rival means to sacrifice himself as well as kill Orochimaru. Stupid Kakashi, that won't work! If he dies without killing the Hokage, then Iruka's still in danger, and even if he does kill Orochimaru and then dies, the curse won't be broken," Gai was speaking more to himself, and the absent man, than Sasuke and Naruto as he paced passed the boys back into the monastery.

"What the hell is going on then?" Naruto shouted at Gai's back.

"I don't have time to explain. But we have to stop Kakashi from making a big mistake." Naruto walked back into the monastery from the porch in time to see Gai hurriedly packing up his meager belongings. It was strange to hear the man speak without the extra adjectives.

"How are we going to stop him?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He's had a bit of a head start."

"He still has to go back to pick up his weapons and clothes. We, on the other hand, will head straight for Konoha; plus, we can travel by night." Gai said as he stowed away his cooking pot. "We should catch up with him before he gets to the city. But we'll need to hurry. Go put out the fire, Lee. We're leaving in a few minutes." Lee rushed to do as he was told. Sasuke and Naruto were left wondering all the while why they had let themselves become entwined in this mad adventure.

Sasuke would have bitterly pointed out that it hadn't been a choice, while Naruto told himself that helping Iruka and Kakashi achieve their justice would be gratifying in itself, he rather liked Iruka. Task finished, Lee came back into the main hall in time to see Iruka reluctantly trailing behind Gai's spandex clad form. "Let Us Go Forth In Our Youthful Lives to Prevent A Great Mishap from Occurring!" Gai shouted cheerfully, Lee voice merely doubling the proclamation.

The sun continued to shine brighter as the day wore on, melting the little snow that had accumulated on the ground. It rendered the main road to Konoha into nothing more than a muddy track. Some time after noon, Gai had led them off the road and into the woods on a more direct path to the city. "You'd better know what you're doing," Naruto grumbled as he picked himself up off the forest floor after stumbling over a hidden branch.

"Of course he does," Lee beamed as he helped the boy thief. "Gai-sensei has wandered all over Japan for the last two years! You must place your trust in his noble self!" Sasuke scowled, but kept his opinions and complaints to himself. In order to make the day go faster, Naruto had pestered Gai into teaching him some very basic taijutsu techniques, saying that all good shinobi had to know at least the basics.

"There is a stream nearby," Gai said tiredly as the sun was drooping below the horizon. "We will take a rest here for a little while." The rest could only nod in agreement. "One of you go get a little firewood, and the rest of us will make camp," Gai suggested. Sasuke and Naruto watched as Iruka ambled over to a nearby log before going into the woods for kindling. Dusk had gathered over the forest when they returned to the small clearing.

"Why did Kakashi leave, Gai? What did you say to him?" Naruto could hear Iruka ask. He waved to Sasuke as he snuck to a nearby tree to watch unseen as Gai finally answered the questions that he himself had asked earlier.

Iruka still sat on the same log that he had ambled over to, wrapped in a blanket, and hugging his knees. The faded light of the early evening made him appear younger then he really was to Naruto. Gai seemed to be engrossed in digging through his pack for something.

"For the fair Iruka." Gai produced with flourish, a dark kimono in the dying light. "It will be a little short on you, but…." Iruka cut him off with a glare.

"Don't dodge the question Gai. What did you say to him?" Iruka practically shouted at the wanderer. Gai lowered the kimono and his eyes.

"Iruka," he said plaintively, looking at his friend. Whatever he saw made his shoulders droop in resignation. "I told him that the day with two sunrises and two sunsets would soon be occur," he said quietly. Iruka sat up straight.

"But that's good news! Why would he…"

"Because, there is a second condition to the curse that I didn't tell you about before… Iruka, what are your feelings toward Kakashi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you love him?"

"I - I don't know," Iruka said hesitantly. "Why? What does that have to do with anything?" Gai sighed.

"Because it's part of the second condition, Iruka," his voice was so low that Naruto had to strain to hear it. The light was almost gone now.

"Why didn't you tell us this in the beginning?" Iruka asked roughly, standing and clutching the blanket around him. Gai looked up at him.

"Because the first condition was impossible enough without adding the second… Iruka, where are you going?" Iruka had started walking towards the woods with a huff.

"I need to think, Gai," he spoke quietly, but you could hear the cross and hard undertone easily, he left without looking back at his friend.

"But what about clothes, you'll freeze," Gai reprimanded after Iruka's blanket wrapped back.

"I'll be back quickly," Iruka said as he disappeared into the woods. Gai stared at the limp kimono in his hands for a few minutes.

"You can come out now, Naruto, Sasuke," he said, looking right at they're hiding spot. Naruto started guiltily, but the two both stepped out from behind the tree. "This eavesdropping habit you two have is not honorable." They walked into the little clearing and began setting up the wood for a small fire.

"I just thought that you'd like some privacy," Naruto tried to explain. Gai gave him a look that said that even though he didn't believe Naruto, he was going to let it pass. "What are we going to do now?"

"We are going to eat and rest ourselves by a fire for a few hours, that we are." Gai performed a small fire jutsu and soon had the fire blazing merrily. The four sat around gloomily. After what seemed like an eternity, Iruka came back into the clearing, the blanket wrapped around his narrow waist. His caramel skin gleamed in the moonlight. He dropped a rabbit at Lee's feet.

"I catch, you cook," he said, a little of his former humor restored. Gai nodded and smiled tentatively at him. "You're lucky that I've never really killed anyone, Gai; you're lucky that I don't want to start with my best friend." He grabbed the kimono and turned from the fire, letting the blanket fall to his feet.

The light of the fire highlighted the twigs and leaves in his brown hair, as well as the new scratches on his skin as he put on the kimono, tied the obi and tied his hair into its customary ponytail. Gai said nothing as Lee skinned and cooked the rabbit; and they ate in silence. Naruto yawned into the night as he watched the two friends staring at each other across the fire, neither sure of what to say to the other.

"Ano, you two need to stop worrying about something that happened in the past, and start worrying about what happens when we catch up to Kakashi," Sasuke said into the tense silence. Two pairs of eyes turned his way, and he regretted saying anything for a moment. Iruka began laughing.

"I guess between the five of us, we'll just have to beat some sense into him when we find him, huh?" Iruka said, still laughing. Gai and Lee chortled, while Sasuke gave an amused smirk and Naruto rolled on the ground, laughing hard at the image that statement conjured up.

"I'm sorry, Iruka," Gai said soberly after he stopped laughing. Iruka smiled a half smile, and nodded toward Naruto.

"It's okay. Naruto-kun is right though. We can't change what happened in the past, and we have other things to worry about in the here and now," he said shrugging. "Why don't you three take a nap, and I'll wake you in a couple of hours?" They all felt like they were asleep before their head touched the ground.

Iruka shook them awake all too soon for Naruto's taste. After putting out the fire, they were soon walking through the clear night. Iruka started at the sound of a wolf howling, but shook his head in bemusement. "It's not him," he muttered under his breath. Behind him, Gai caught the eyes of the younger boys.

They stopped to rest again as the day dawned brightly. They dined on leftover rabbit and napped sitting up, the snow leopard keeping guard over them. When they awoke, the bright day had disappeared into sullen, heavy bottomed snow clouds. It began snowing soon after noon.

It was Sasuke who spotted the small village in the dying afternoon light. "This snow is not letting up," he pointed out to Gai. "We should find shelter," he gestured toward the little grouping of buildings. Gai had nodded his agreement cheerfully and they trudged through the shin deep snow into the village.

"The Great Eye of Heaven Is Preparing to Rest," Gai shouted. "Take Fair Iruka to the Cover of the Stables so that He may Change in its Sheltered Privacy, While Youthful Lee and I Unearth from the Kindly Patron For Rooms." The wanderer handed Naruto his travel pack and went into the village proper, while Naruto, Sasuke and Iruka hid in the dark stable to await Iruka's transformation.

Sasuke guarded the door, watching the snowfall as the sun set and Iruka became a human being again. "Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Iruka whispered excitedly, followed by a yelp. Naruto turned from his place to see a completely naked Iruka being nipped and tackled by various ninken.

Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized the canines. "He's here?" he said, breathlessly. Iruka nodded happily.

"Did you miss me, Pakkun? Bull?" the young man murmured, kissing said canines affectionately. He patted his way around each of them, and then went looking through the saddlebag between Bull's paws for his clothes.

"I guess that means that tomorrow we get to try to beat some sense into Kakashi," Naruto said in mock despair. Iruka looked over Bull's back at the boy and laughed as he pulled on his pants.

"No, that means that _you_ get to tryto beat some sense into him; I'll be trying to scratch his eyes out as a leopard." Naruto threw a dried piece of dung at him, which he easily dodged.

"Hurry up, Iruka-san! We've gotta tell Gai and Lee the good news!"

* * *

A blanket of darkness had fallen by the time that Mizuki, angry, cold and tired, stopped his wagon in a little village for the night. He had been throughout the prefecture, and was on his way back to Konoha to tell Orochimaru: 'Fuck you and your stupid wild goose chase'. Of course, he had a couple of days traveling to think of a more polite way to say it as to avoid becoming quite dead.

Mizuki looked around the nearly deserted village with distaste. He could remember when this place had been bustling, even in winter, with farmers and the like who were passing through from delivering their shares of rice and buckwheat or just visiting Konoha. Now its only redeeming features were the inn, and the hot springs. At least he would be warm, and there wouldn't be any sleeping under the wagon tonight.

Voices from the direction of the springs broke through his reverie. "I don't care!" shouted and indignant and irritating voice that had yet to settle into its adult register. "I worked too hard for that money!" A deeper voice snorted.

"Worked, Naruto? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you steal that purse?" Mizuki frowned at the thought of thieves; he seemed to be running into more robbers and highwaymen since Yondaime died and Orochimaru had become the Hokage. He tied his nearly empty purse tightly to his obi, and made sure that he took his skinning knife with him as he got down from the wagon.

He watched as the young man and the boy rounded the corner of the inn into the torchlight, still steaming from their stay in the hot springs. "We are going straight to find the rightful owner of this purse and return…" the young man's voice trailed off into a gasp as he caught sight of the hunter and his wagon.

Mizuki was so accustomed to people fearing his scarred face and his grisly cargo that he barely noticed the young man in forest green hurriedly backing away from his wagon, staring at the wolf pelts with an expression of fear. No, what caught his attention was the companion that the young man almost tripped over on in his haste to get away from the wagon.

"Iruka! What's wrong?" the kid yelled in concern, steadying the older man, before noticing Mizuki's payload and attention. The hunter's eyes widened as he returned his attention to the young man in green.

Large, unusually brown eyes in an extremely attractive face looked up at him from above a paling white scar across the bridge of the nose. This young man certainly fit the description enough, Mizuki thought, looking the boy up and down again. He had to be absolutely sure, though.

"Umino Iruka?" If anything, the young man's fearful eyes widened further, and Mizuki grinned to himself, the scars on his face tightening.

"Who the hell are you?" the forgotten little boy asked heatedly, as he began pulling on the older man's jacket and waving his eating knife at the hunter. "Leave us the hell alone! C'mon, Iruka."

"Ooh, you're scaring me, demon boy," Mizuki said, laughing as the kid's eyes narrowed at the name.

"Naruto, go get Gai," Iruka said quietly in a surprisingly calm voice, without taking his eyes off the hunter.

"I'm not leaving you here alone with this creep!" the blonde said angrily. "C'mon, Iruka!" Mizuki watched as Iruka let the blonde drag him to the inn, his eyes never leaving the hunter's.

Mizuki grinned, giving the young man a mock salute as he and his young companion disappeared into the inn. The hunter hopped back onto his wagon and drove off into the woods to set some traps, his need for the warmth of the inn forgotten.

Iruka listened to Naruto inform Gai about their encounter with the hunter with a detached air. He nodded and said the right things as Gai tried to reassure him that Kakashi was much too smart for some backwoods hunter to catch. He yelled at Gai for giving Naruto, Sasuke and Lee drunk on cheap sake.

Later, in their room, however, he unrolled his futon near the door and lay on it, as the others got ready to sleep. And as Gai and Naruto, and especially Sasuke's breathing deepened, he snuck out of the inn and into the stable. He led patted the dogs before ordering them out into the snowy night, running beside them in the direction that the hunter had gone.

* * *

_Kakashi stood suddenly, stretching himself like cat in sunshine, sighing as he ran a hand through his silver shock of hair and lifted the mask over his nose lazily._

"_Why don't you guys just come in," He turned his head towards the door, single eye turning into an inverted 'U' as he did so. "I know you four have been listening from the start."_

_Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura let the door swing open slowly, each looking rather sheepish in their own way. Naruto, as always, recovered quickly as he bounced into the room._

"_Ano sa, ano sa! We came to see how Iruka-sensei was doing Bakashi-sensei!"_

"_Naruto! Don't call Kakashi-sensei that!"_

"_Itai! But Sakura…you--" Naruto was rewarded with a blow to the head before he could finish his sentence. All three turned when they heard the sound of their sensei chuckling. It was probably the first genuinely positive expression they'd gotten from him since Iruka-sensei had been admitted into the place._

_Then again, there was a lot to say when the Hatake Kakashi stuck around in the hospital. Everyone who knew him well enough, knew that he absolutely hated being in the hospital in any way, shape or form. It was a testament to how much the jounin really cared and loved the comatose chuunin._

"_We brought some food." Sasuke murmured, holding up the back of takeout ramen. His other hand was discreetly entwined with Sakura's, but it seemed only Kakashi noticed it. He was surprised to see that Hinata had come as well._

_The Copynin's eyes twinkled, "I'm surprised you guys managed to bring it all in here without Naruto devouring it all."_

"_Kakashi-sensei! It was horrifying to have to wait until we got all the way over here. Oh yea! We bumped into Hinata-chan there so we invited her along too! Can we eat it now?"_

_Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head at Naruto's antics, discretely noting how the Hyuuga heiress stood quite close to the hyperactive blonde ninja. He grinned inwardly._

"_I-I've b-been meaning t-to come b-by with K-Kiba-kun and S-Shine-kun. We wanted to wish Iruka-sensei strength." Hinata stuttered shyly._

"_Kakashi-sensei, we didn't want to interrupt your story. Will you continue it?" Sakura piped up, she made a slight face, "You always eat so fast anyways."_

_Kakashi snickered lightly, raising the empty takeout bowl cheerfully while the four gawked, "Why of course Sakura!" He gleefully watched them sulkily slurp at their noodles, probably over the fact that they had missed seeing his face yet again._

"_Now…where was I?"_


	9. Chapter 8

**Trapped Confusion**

Iruka finally found the wagon, with its atrocious load, settled by the side of the main road several miles from the inn. The hunter was nowhere to be seen however. Iruka glanced around cautious, mind checking the scene from amidst the pack of ninken.

"Shhh," he told the canines, hands flicking into a signal he'd seen Kakashi perform plenty of times, to tell the dogs to hide and be silent. They were gone in moments, dark blurs disappearing into the forest nearby, There was an acrid smell of smoke in the cold, snowy air; and Iruka, using all of the hunter's grace and silence that he had learned over the past two years, turned to follow that smell deep into the woods.

Ahead in a clearing, the light from a small fire flickered. Iruka cautiously made his way between the trees toward the clearing, stretching out his senses in order to find the silver haired man. Except for the fire, the clearing was empty. However, Iruka could feel eyes following him as he walked into the open space.

"I know you're here," he called out into the darkness. "Who are you?" He had only walked a couple of steps toward the fire when he heard the sound of something striking metal, and the loud snap of a malicious steel trap shutting at his feet.

He jumped back, only to hear another clink and snap. Iruka took a deep breath, calming the flutter of fear in his stomach that had risen as he decided to stand in one place, turning in a circle, trying to find the hunter.

"Pretty, pretty, Iruka," came the hunter's leering voice from somewhere in the darkness. "My name is Mizuki, but all you really need to know is that I'm the best hunter in this prefecture. Tell me… where is the silver wolf?"

"That is the second time you have used that name. What did Orochimaru promise you if you caught this silver wolf?" Iruka spoke calmly, inwardly snarling as he still tried to locate the hunter. "You do know that he has no honor."

"Oh, I got the impression that the Hokage wants _this_ wolf badly enough to actually pay me what he promised. So, beautiful boy, where is he?"

"You think that I'll actually tell you? Please, think again," Iruka snorted, finally homing in on the hunter's location. The man chuckled at him.

"Now, now," the hunter purred teasingly. "You shouldn't be that way, Iruka. It really doesn't matter if you tell me or not; you see, a good trapper can catch almost anything if he uses the right bait. And you, my pretty, are going to be _my_ bait." Iruka found the silver haired hunter sitting in a tree. It was silver hair that matched Kakashi's wild shock, but he knew that this man was nothing like his Kakashi. He started toward the hunter, only to be brought up short by another rock hitting another trap in front of his feet.

"I really wouldn't move if I were you. You never know when you might walk into a trap."

"Come down and face me, you fucking coward!" Iruka, finally fed up, yelled at the man.

He grimaced at the fact that he'd let his temper get the best of him, it was mistake, and repressed the shudder as an icy fear ran down his spine; the hunter laughed at him once again.

* * *

Gai was sitting in a corner of their room feigning sleep, when he had heard Sano quietly opening and closing the shoji screen. He had assumed that his friend was simply taking a trip to the outhouse, and his mind dozed as he waited to hear the young man to come back.

The part of his mind that was always skeptical, however, noticed the passage of time. Suddenly, he was sitting up straighter, eyebrows furrowing as he replayed Iruka's earlier reactions in his mind's eye. He stretched out his senses, hoping against hope that what he feared wasn't true.

"Naruto! Sasuke! Lee, wake up! Iruka's gone!" Gai all but shouted as he shook the three awake.

* * *

Kakashi raised his head, tasting the wind in his nose and on his tongue. At first, the scent was faint, ghostly, and could almost be dismissed as a symptom of his longing for his pack mate.

However, a freshening breeze brought new evidence that, indeed, _he_was near. The silver wolf sat on his haunches and pondered his next action. Did he really want to see _him _again? Of course he did. It was obvious.

However, would seeing _him _again weaken his resolve to do what was necessary to serve his sense of justice? Definitely. He decided that it would be best to ignore the tantalizingly familiar scent of his pack mate and to continue with his hunt.

Thus, it was a surprised to Kakashi when he found himself loping into the wind, following the scent of his pack mate.

* * *

Iruka glared at the hunter, silently cursing himself for his protectiveness. What exactly had he planned to do when he found the hunter? Talk to the man? Try to convince him to leave Kakashi alone? Obviously the man was unwilling to be convinced.

The sound of a small animal crashing through the undergrowth caught his attention, and he watched, horrified, as an unwary fox ran into one of the traps that ringed the clearing.

Its scream of death was abruptly cut off as it died: its back broken and mangled. The hunter laughed delightfully at Iruka's reaction.

"That was relatively painless. I've seen animals that were unfortunate enough to only get their leg caught and gnaw off their feet to escape. It's a terrible way to die. Maybe you should start praying that your wolf doesn't suffer the same fate."

"Bastard," Iruka spat helplessly, frowning as he watched the still twitching carcass of the fox. He'd be damned if he was going to let Kakashi suffer at all.

As if thinking the man's name had conjured him up, Iruka felt more than heard a familiar howl close by. And although he tried not to show any reaction, the hunter seemed to know that his prey was near, and smirked down at Iruka from his perch.

* * *

Kakashi found his pack mate in a small forest clearing near a fire. There was something wrong. The scents of anger and fear and death blanketing the place thickly reached his nose, along with the smell of a stranger.

It caused his hackles to rise.

So instead of bounding into the clearing and jumping on the boy as he wanted to do, he crouched low and inched his way slowly toward his pack mate; keeping a wary eye out for this stranger that caused fear.

He gave a low growl to announce his presence, and was rewarded when the boy found his hiding place. The smell of fear, as well as the feeling of danger, only increased.

"Go away," Iruka hissed. "I don't need you." The wolf paused in his tracks, eyes darting left and right. He sensed a danger that made every hair along his spine stand up; of course his pack needed him, he was the man's protector and there was the matter of this stranger he smelled...

He started forward again, only to be yelled at. "No! Stay the hell away from me!" The wolf stopped again, sat down, and cocked his head at the boy. What nonsense was this? Perhaps his pack mate was angry that he had been left behind? If so, the wolf was prepared to make it up to him.

He didn't get further chance to puzzle out his companion's odd behavior because a well-thrown rock collided with his shoulder, and disrupted his thoughts.

"Leave me alone!" Another rock.

"I don't want you here! Get away from me!" A barrage of rocks.

Kakashi felt his ears go flat, and his tail stiffen straight from his body in anger. He bared his fangs, preparing himself to teach his charge just who the alpha was when another rock hit him square on the nose, causing him to yelp in a rather undignified manner.

"This is all your fault, Hatake! I hate you!" Iruka practically roared. Kakashi blinked narrowed eyes that had widened just fractions ago.

The words hurt him more than any rock ever could.

And if they, in and of themselves, weren't enough to make him abandon Iruka, the sense of relief that suddenly arose from the boy when he did turn away was genuine enough to make him run.

* * *

Watching Kakashi silently disappear through the underbrush was most probably the hardest thing Iruka had ever done in his life. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had just saved Kakashi's life, but he also knew that his actions and words had wounded the only being in the world that knew and understood, what his life had become in the last two years.

The relief that Kakashi was safe suddenly became one of fear that Kakashi wouldn't understand why he had acted in the manner that he had.

Iruka was so focused on the wolf's passage that he realized he'd lost track of Mizuki until the silver haired man backhanded him. Iruka fell to his hands and knees, surprised he hadn't seen or heard the hunter leave his perch in the tree.

He tasted blood on his lips, and felt a bruise forming on his cheek. _Baka! What's the first rule of a fighting?_ Iruka berated himself harshly. _Never take your eyes off your enemy…_

"You think you're clever, don't you, you little shit?" Mizuki mused tauntingly. Iruka glared up at him. "Well, I think you've cost me enough for one night," the trapper declared, kicking him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

Iruka landed on his ass, his right hand coming to rest on cold steel. A quick glance down had him noticing a glint of firelight dancing on the chain of the concealed steel trap that his hand nearly landed in.

Mizuki was on him before he could gasp enough air to move, pulling him up painfully by his long brown hair. Iruka's hand tightened automatically on the chain.

"I think you _owe _me something for tonight, pretty boy," the man said with a lecherous grin. "And I think I'm going to _enjoy _taking what you owe me from your body."

Iruka didn't think. In the time it took to blink, the cold, detached part of his mind watched as he swung the chain and the trap at Mizuki. He observed the cold, sharp teeth close upon the man's face and neck; and felt the hunter's hot blood splash him in the face and chest as the man let go of his hair.

By his second blink, that pragmatic part of his mind studied Mizuki's hands as they tried to claw the steel trap from his head, noticed that it was possible for the man to free himself. It forced Iruka to kick the man in the chest before those hands earned the hunter's liberation.

And by the third blink, that separate awareness saw Mizuki fall into another of his traps; scrutinized his death throes; and remarked that the hunter had been right: it was a terrible way to die. _Trash did not deserve to live._

Iruka came back to full awareness of himself and his surroundings as he watched, in horrified fascination, the still twitching body of the first man he'd ever watch die. In retrospect, he'd never actually seen such a gruesome way to die. He sank to his hands and knees and puked up his guts.

* * *

"Iruka?" Naruto called out upon seeing the young man kneeling near a fire in a clearing. Iruka looked up with startled wide eyes; the dying embers of the fire painting his features in crimsons and oranges, making him look like the forest spirit that Naruto had first taken him for days ago, another lifetime ago. "Gai, I found him!" the blonde boy called over his shoulder as he began to run toward the clearing.

"No! Stay away from me!" Iruka gasped forcefully, his voice cracking. "There are traps hidden all around this clearing. It's not a good way to die." Naruto froze in his tracks.

"Where's the hunter?" the blonde whispered loudly. "Have you seen Kakashi?" Iruka looked down at his hands.

"Kakashi is…safe," he said, his voice oddly subdued. Sasuke, who'd just reached Naruto, noticed the awkward hesitation. "The hunter…" again, Iruka paused, looking over at bundle of what Naruto had assumed to be rags, "won't be bothering us again."

Naruto and Sasuke felt their eyes widen with the realization that Iruka, who had never really liked fighting, who, according to Gai, had never wanted to kill in his life, had killed the hunter.

Iruka looked from the body to the dark and windswept sky. "It's going to be dawn soon," he whispered, and something in his voice sounded broken to the two thieves. Naruto looked up at the cloudy black sky.

"How can you tell?" Sasuke asked gently, tactfully trying to steer the conversation away from death.

"After so many sunrises?" Iruka smiled with a small, humorless laugh. "Naruto...Sasuke, I need you to do a favor for me. Take the dogs back to the stables and wait for Kakashi. Tell him…tell him that I didn't mean what I said. Tell him that I…I love him," the words came out in almost a whisper as silent tears rolled off Iruka's chin. "Tell him he's free…He'll understand." A chill of presentiment ran down Naruto and Sasuke's spine at Iruka's last words.

Gai and Lee, moving almost as quietly as any forest creature, finally made it to their location. Both boys grabbed respective arms to stop them from going into the clearing. "He says that there are traps all around," Naruto murmured in the wanderer's ear, trying to tell Gai his suspicions without letting Iruka know what he said.

"He wants us to go wait for Kakashi in town. Stay here and watch him. Something really bad happened here and I'm afraid he might try to hurt himself." Gai, his eyes narrowed in understanding, nodded grimly.


	10. Chapter 9

**Misunderstanding**

"Go away, Gai," Iruka commanded in a low voice, as he found the hunter's skinning knife. "Unless you think you'd enjoy watching me kill myself." Gai felt his eyes go wide at this last statement.

"Iruka," he left behind his normal flowery speech in this delicate situation as he hurriedly, but carefully, swept a long stick in front of his feet in order to clear away any traps in his path, "Why in the world would you even say something like that?"

The sky was graying towards dawn, and Gai knew that if he could keep Iruka talking for a few moments more this danger would pass. A trap snapped the end of the stick. How in the world had Sano gotten past all of these in the dark, Gai wondered to himself.

"Because he thinks I hate him…" Iruka started. He looked down at the knife in his grip. "Because everything's entirely my fault. If I had committed suicide when this mess began, none of this would be happening. No one would have been hurt, or killed, or… Hell, even Orochimaru may have been shamed enough to change his ways."

Gai thought Iruka sounded like his spirit had broken. He really hoped that wasn't the case.

"Orochimaru has neither shame nor honor. You know that, Iruka," Gai murmured, hoping to keep the young man talking. The light was growing stronger as Gai continued finding and disarming traps. "Killing yourself back then would not have changed him. And killing yourself now will not solve anything."

Iruka responded with a deep breath and placed the tip of the knife to his navel.

"Iruka! Please put the knife down! I know you are not this selfish. If you do this, you will be throwing away everything that Kakashi and I have done for you!"

"Last night, I told Kakashi that I hated him Gai; he thinks that I hate him. Thank you for everything that you've tried to do for me, really, but I think that everyone would be better off with me I'm gone," Iruka chocked out, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes.

"IRUKA! NO!" Gai shouted, lunging forward, traps forgotten.

* * *

Naruto watched from the stall they'd found the ninken in as the cold dawn painted the wind tattered clouds with streaks of pink and gold. The large bull dog, Bull, broke the wind and his tail swinging violently, slapping Naruto stingingly on the back as if he were an annoying fly. 

"Damn it Bull, this is not the time for jokes…" Naruto growled, as he pushed the dog's hindquarters away.

A cold shadow fell upon the boy, and he looked up into a single dark blue eye. Naruto swallowed, suddenly unsure of what he was going to say.

"What are _you_ doing here? Did Gai send you to rub my troubles in my face?" Kakashi muttered as he entered the stall. He began rummaging through the saddlebag for his clothes without looking at Naruto.

"Iruka asked us to come here and talk to you," Sasuke stated quietly. Kakashi's sudden glare made whatever words Naruto had freeze on his tongue.

"Maa. I would have thought that Iruka would at least be smart enough to know that he said everything he needed to say last night," Kakashi feigned indifference as he put on his underclothes.

Naruto frowned at him.

"He didn't mean what he said to you," Naruto said quietly in the face of the man's obvious irritation. Kakashi snorted and slipped on his kimono. "He knows he hurt your feelings, and he's…"

"Sorry?" Kakashi interrupted coldly, without looking up or ceasing to dress. "Is he worried that I'll kill Orochimaru, dooming him to half a life forever? Tell him that after justice is served, I'll be sure to commit seppuku, so he can live free of the curse." He pleated and tied his riding hakama. Naruto felt his own anger rising.

"Justice? You selfish bastard! You never really cared about Iruka! I don't see how he could have ever fallen in love with someone like you!" Naruto screamed.

"You claim to want to become a Hokage. The Hokage is also the greatest shinobi of a hidden village, tell me, what are the five virtues at the heart of a true shinobi?" Kakashi asked calmly. Naruto frowned quizzically and wondered what the man was driving at.

"Loyalty, justice, love, self-control, and simplicity," Sasuke answered in Naruto's place. Kakashi nodded once, like a teacher to a slow pupil.

"I did not choose to take up this mission because Iruka loves me; I have never been under the illusion that he does; I took up this mission because fighting against injustice is the path of all true shinobi," Kakashi stated, but now it was Naruto's turn to interrupt.

"Shut up, you emotionless bastard! You don't know anything!" Naruto spat. Kakashi raised a fine eyebrow at him. Naruto ignored him. "Follow me, and _maybe_ you'll learn something."

* * *

Kakashi, rather bemused by the blonde's statement, surprised himself by actually allowing the young thieves to lead him back down the main road toward the forest. If he was honest with himself, he knew that some part of him wanted Naruto to be proven right; wanted to believe that Iruka did care for him and that the last two years of their lives together hadn't been a waste of time. 

The hurt part of his conscious, however, laughed at the sentimental thought. It was obvious that Iruka blamed him for their predicament. And the bad part about it was that he was pretty sure the younger man was right.

If he had had enough self-control to resist Iruka's pleadings in the first place, then none of this would be happening now. Kakashi brutally suppressed the sigh that was trying to escape his lips.

Sasuke signaled them to stop as they rounded a bend in the road and came upon a wagon parked in the tall, dead grass. The blonde weaved out from around the canines and stalked toward the wagon.

"Last night, as we were heading for the inn, we came across this wagon," the boy said as gruffly as he could with his cracking voice. He watched with irritation written plainly across his face, as Kakashi slowly waved off the pack and examined the wagon and it's grizzly contents.

"The wagon's owner called Iruka by name." Kakashi frowned, understanding what Naruto was implying.

"This hunter was after me, specifically," he said as he coolly counted the gory pelts on the wagon. "And that's why Iruka didn't want me in that clearing." Sasuke smirked as Naruto nodded.

"There were traps all around that clearing," the blonde said as the two thieves turned and began walking toward the forest on foot. Kakashi ordered the ninken away without another thought as they vanished in puffs of smoke and followed, watching the two boy's retreating backs without really seeing it.

It was clear to him now that Iruka had deliberately put himself at risk by looking for this hunter who was obviously in Orochimaru's service. That had been the fear he had smelled last night; that had been the danger he had sensed. _Some genius you are._ He thought belatedly

They walked the forest in silence, with only the sound of snow and twigs crunching under their feet as Kakashi thought through the events of the night before from the perspective of a human being, instead of that of a wolf.

_Baka! _Kakashi thought with a certain fondness for his…he cut that thought of at the knees. Iruka had never been _his_ anything. Still, the chuunin's reckless bravery on his behalf silenced the cold, cynical mutterings of his mind for now.

Naruto and Sasuke were slowing as they near a clearing and Kakashi frowned slightly as some part of him recognized this place.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the same clearing from the night before. Another thought made its way to the front of his mind.

"Earlier you said Iruka sent you to talk to me. He must have gotten away from the hunter. So why are you bringing me here? Is he hurt?" The very thought that the hunter could have hurt Iruka made Kakashi reach for a kunai.

If Iruka had been hurt, the man would die a slow, and very painful, death or maybe Kakashi would chidori his ass. Naruto and Sasuke had stopped altogether and turned to look at him with a look that seemed to measure and weigh everything about him.

Kakashi caught his breath in the face of the boys' cold assessment.

"Iruka killed the hunter last night, Kakashi," Naruto said quietly. "Was he hurt? Not that I could see. He was very upset though, and very worried that he had hurt _your_feelings. He told me to tell you that he loves you, and that you're free. He said that you would know what he meant."

Kakashi felt his heart freeze at the boy's words. He could only be free if Iruka were dead. He began walking quickly toward the clearing, pushing past the boys without a second glance.

* * *

Gai knelt on the cold, stony ground, staring down at the disaster that he had been unable to avert; a small breeze ruffled Iruka's green shirt and toyed with the small hair tie. He barely noticed the shallow gash on his arm throbbing. 

In the distance, he could hear Naruto and Kakashi's voices as they approached the clearing, but his mind refused to hear what they were saying.

Evidently the traps were easier to spot now that the sun was fully up. There was the sound of rushing feet in the underbrush, and Gai finally lifted his eyes to find Kakashi staring down at him. Gai watched as Kakashi's already narrow blue eye narrowed further as he took in the sights of the clearing.

"Where is he?" the Hound growled at the Green Beast.

"Gone," Gai sighed as he began folding Iruka's clothes. He watched as Kakashi whistled, waiting. "I don't think he intends to come back." Kakashi glared at him and Naruto frowned.

"What happened after I left?" the young thief asked, breaking the tense silence that had sprung up between them. Gai turned his gaze toward the boy, unable to take Kakashi's death glare as the man finally accepted that the snow leopard was gone.

"He found the hunter's knife," Gai said with a glance toward the stiff body of the hunter. "You were right, Naruto. He planned to kill himself. He seems to think that everyone would be better off without him, that if he had killed himself in the first place, even Orochimaru would have been shamed."

Gai watched as the boy nodded thoughtfully, all the while, he could still feel Kakashi's continued glare like a sword thrust between his shoulder blades. "I tried to stop him, but I was too far away when he placed the blade to his stomach. The only thing that stopped him was the rising of the sun."

"Hn," Kakashi snorted, as he looked away from Gai and began exploring the clearing. He turned over the stiff body, the distaste obvious in his harsh features.

"What happened to your arm?" Naruto asked Gai, again drawing his attention away from Kakashi.

"Iruka clawed me in his effort to get away quickly." Kakashi snorted again. Naruto winced in sympathy.

"Where's the knife?" Kakashi asked suddenly, his eyes sharp. Gai started at the question.

"He… took it with him…" Kakashi's frown deepened. Then his eyes widened.

"He's going to Konoha," Kakashi spoke more to himself than to either Gai or the two thieves. Gai's eyes widened with the realization.

"How can you know that?" Naruto asked.

"I've traveled with him for the last two years. I know how he thinks," Kakashi replied tersely. "Stupid Dolphin." This last part was murmured under his breath.

"Iruka mentioned confronting Orochimaru," Gai added, seeing that Naruto and Naruto were still a little confused. Kakashi nodded curtly.

"When is your 'eclipse'?" he asked, looking at the sun.

"Sometime tomorrow morning," Gai answered solemnly.

"Iruka will be in the city this afternoon, but he won't be able to do anything until after sunset. If we start now, we will be able to make it by then. If we are able to find him, we may be able to stop him from doing something stupid."

"Then what are we sitting around here talking for?" Naruto yelled. "Let's go!" The two thieves began heading back towards the main road, leaving both the Green Beast and the Hound to watch their retreating backs.


	11. Chapter 10

**He's Here.**

"Ano sa! We're in a hurry here! I thought we agreed that Iruka's in trouble!" Naruto's disturbingly loud voice made Kakashi want to strangle the blonde, and although he easily kept an expression of boredom and disinterest, he had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at the boy. Gai, however, probably used to seeing through the calm façade, and seeing Naruto's danger, stepped in to arbitrate.

"If we take the hunter's wagon, it'll be faster," the Green Beast answered for the Hound. Kakashi lazily nodded his agreement without acknowledging the spandex clad man. Of course, the little loud mouth blonde couldn't leave even leave that alone.

"Isn't taking the time to burn the pelts just wasting time? Why do we even have to take them off?" Naruto whined as he brought the last of the bloody carcasses to the hastily made pyre. The boy had been complaining ever since Kakashi had assigned the two thieves the job. Sasuke had pretty much glared the whole time, but Naruto had been as loud as ever. Kakashi watched from the corner of his eye as Gai beamed a smile at him, clearly leaving him to answer the boy. Kakashi scowled visibly this time.

"If we want to get to Konoha undetected by the evening, we'll have to empty it. The wagon's load it lighter and we'll travel faster. As for the pelts, you should understand that when you're family has been cruelly murdered and their bodies left to feed the vultures, should you not do something to honor them?" he said quietly, as the two boys scrubbed the blood from his hands with snow.

Naruto's mouth shut quickly as Sasuke looked intently at a smudge in the pristine snow, Kakashi did not bother to hide his sigh at the ending of questions as he sent a small nod of his head toward the fire. He was slightly pleased when Gai, Naruto, Sasuke and Lee did the same.

"Now we go," he said as he vaulted onto the horse's back. The animal danced impatiently as they waited for Gai and the boys to climb onto the wagon. Kakashi set a brisk pace on the hilly, muddy road to Konoha.

They had traveled several hours, Kakashi half listening to what the boys and the wanderer make small talk, but not contributing any himself, when he suddenly called for a halt for lunch. It was time to tell his annoying companions his plans.

* * *

Iruka usually enjoyed the rhythm of the hunt: leaping from shadow to shadow, dancing in the darkness. Even with his pale colored fur, he easily blended in, ducking, twisting, and loping in and about and around the flickering shadows. Usually, the only thinking he did while hunting was to look out for prey he might fall upon, and calculate their moves as he circled around from the side, dashing after them; and that didn't take too much thinking, it was almost instinct. Mostly.

'I'm not being selfish,' Iruka reminded himself as he came to the end of the alley he'd been creeping down. He automatically pulled up short to the side of the building, nose sniffing cautiously in the wind. If he'd been listening instead of focusing solely on getting away, Gai's words from earlier would probably still be haunting them. 'I'm doing the right thing.'

He slipped around the corner, diving for another cluster of shadows as he slid into yet another alley. 'How could Gai say that when he knows very well that my death will free Kakashi from the curse? It's not like Kakashi could ever love someone like me, anyhow,' he justified to himself.

The path his thoughts was taking him down was depressing even to him and he decided to enjoy the wind blowing past his ears and the sight of the sun and cloud mottled landscape over him; after all, after today, if everything went as he hoped, he would never hunt free again.

* * *

No one noticed the snow leopard carrying a knife in its jaws as it crept through the allies of Konoha. Instead of watching for prey, Iruka watched, with his keen interest, the diminishing humanity of Konoha. The few brave farmers left in the prefecture dragging in their meager crops, dried radishes and persimmons before the harshness of winter settled in for good; the merchants of outlying towns hawked their pitiful merchandise to people without enough money to buy them; and most of the people and guards of the city itself went about their business with a sullen disquiet that the leopard could see quite well and clear.

What interested him most however was the entourage of people wearing the Daimyo's insignia who surged like the tide over the main road to Konoha. The Daimyo himself was coming to Konoha, and that made his plans all the easier. Gai may have been right about Orochimaru having no shame, but if Iruka were to kill himself in front of the Daimyo as well, then Orochimaru would definitely lose face. The people of Konoha didn't notice the snow leopard with the knife, but he noticed them all.

* * *

Orochimaru had been irritatingly pacing the heart of his meditation garden for hours. He needed to focus his thoughts on the Daimyo's impending arrival; however, he was finding it an impossible task "Umino Iruka," he whispered.

His dreams from the past few nights had been filled with images, an older Iruka grown feral and even more beautiful, not of the shy, polite boy he had known and dreamed about for the past two years, but of a savage Iruka who ran through the evening forest, a blanket wrapped around his lithe waist, chasing after, and catching rabbits; a stormy-eyed, tempered Iruka, running with a pack of canines through the darkness of night; a crying Iruka kneeling in the snow, watching the dawn. Orochimaru knew in his bones that these dream were somehow fragments of reality; knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they meant that Iruka was near, returning to Konoha, and to him.

His lips twisted into a cruel grin.

"Pardon me for the interruption, Hokage-sama, but the Daimyo's entourage has been spotted," Kabuto's calm voice broke through Orochimaru's conniving mind, spinning out numerous plans to ensnare his wild dolphin.

Orochimaru started with a snarl, his back stiffening as he spun around, the muscles of his jaw tightening in anger. "He'll be here just before sunset." Orochimaru straightened himself, smoothing out his kimono before turning a scathing glare to the medical ninja.

He was beginning to suspect that Kabuto liked interrupting and startling him; finding some sort of perverse joy in bringing him bad news. It was annoying. Orochimaru pursed his lips as he thought that a new Captain of the Guard might be in order soon.

'Maybe when Kimimaro returns with Hatake's head, or Mizuki with his pelt,' the Hokage grinned at the idea. 'After all, according to my visions, Iruka is returning to me…' that thought made him pause at the implications.

He could only being seeing these visions, could only be sure of their truth, if the Biju was involved; and thinking of Konoha's Tailed Beast, and the power that he, as Konoha's Hokage had over it, gave him a foolproof way out of his quandary with the Daimyo. He noticed Kabuto watching him carefully, a small smirk playing on the Captain's thin lips.

"You suddenly seem to be in quite the mood when you're about to be accused of treason," Kabuto said in that infuriating way of his. Orochimaru frowned, perhaps a new Captain was in order after all.

"I'm not worried, Kabuto. The Daimyo has no proof that I have done anything wrong, which is probably why he is coming here, instead of summoning me to him. However, he is a cunning man. He suspects that I am lying to him; and I have no doubt that while I am busy entertaining him, his spies will be trying to find evidence that we have already destroyed. Your assignment, Kabuto, is to find me just one of those spies. Do that, the Daimyo loses face, and this entire mishap disappears," Orochimaru snapped his fingers, chuckling to himself. The Captain may have his uses after all.

"And what happens if I can't find a spy?" Kabuto asked with a raised eyebrow. Orochimaru scoffed, entertaining the idea to replace the man again.

"Then you are not the man I thought you were, and after this is over, I _will_ be searching for a new Captain of the Guard," Orochimaru answered with a smirk of his own, letting the impudent man know that he was not as indispensable as he thought. Kabuto bowed low, backing his way out of the garden.

"Then I'll go prepare my men, and leave you to your…, meditation, Hokage-sama." Orochimaru snickered to himself. Ah yes…life was wonderful.

* * *

The last rays of the setting sun still painted the horizon as a rickety wagon with a tired old brown horse tied to the back joined the end of the column of travelers crowding the main gate into the city of Konoha. Gai opened his mouth to spread his joy and comment on the youthfulness of the youth, but a low growl from underneath the blanket covering the back of the wagon stopped him in his tracks.

His fingers itched to scratch at a particularly uncomfortable spot, the clothes that Kakashi had ordered Naruto and Sasuke to dress him in order to camouflage made him itch; shouting his youthful speeches wasn't an tolerated either, as Kakashi's growl had warned, since that might dislodge the disguise. Gai sighed, lowering his hand; he knew better than to even think about posing with thumbs up #37 or blinding grin #5.

Naruto sat next to Sasuke on the wagon, equally dirty, his eyes wide with anxiety. The boy obviously didn't believe it was possible to hide in plain sight. Sasuke didn't have time to reassure him, as the tail end of the Daimyo's retinue passed through the gates with minimal fuss, leaving only them and a few stragglers to the scrutiny of the guards. A newly lit torch, carried by one of the gate guards, flared in Gai's eyes as he stopped the wagon in front of the gates.

"Hold. State you business peasant," a guard ordered in a bored, gruff tone. Gai took a deep breath, and began stuttering like the overawed peasant he was supposed to be.

"Well…uh…I, that is, my nephews and I, are here on behalf of our village, with a gift for the Hokage, uh…my lord." The guard held the torch to look at Naruto, who was gripping Sasuke's arm, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

"Hmmmm, your nephews looks slightly familiar to me," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Why is he shaking like that?" Naruto blanched under his mask of dirt.

"This is his first time to the city, Sir. My cousin is shaking because he has never been around so many people. He's simple, you know," Sasuke leaned forward whispering conspiratorially to the man; Naruto stopped shaking to turn an outraged glare at him, which Sasuke ignored.

Gai took the chance to step in once more, "Was that really the Daimyo ahead of us?" he asked, improvising and another soft growl came from beneath the blanket, threatening dire things if he didn't stop babbling.

The sound caught the guard's attention.

"Only some of his retainers," the man answered absently. "And what do we have we here?" the man asked as he sauntered to the back of the wagon and pulled the blanket off. Kakashi lunged at the man as far as the rope tying him to the wagon bed allowed, snapping and growling fiercely, causing the guard to stumble back, as he dropped his torch.

A snicker arose from the other guards stationed at the gate. Seeing the ropes, the man recovered quickly, unsheathing his sword. "I've never had the pleasure of killing a wolf before." Naruto's widened at Kakashi's impending doom.

"How strange," Gai shouted quickly as the man lifted his sword, preparing to strike. "The Hokage said exactly the same thing when he stopped in our village last spring on his Youthful way back to Konoha. I'm sure that he will understand you depriving him of that pleasure. He seemed like such a very forgiving sort of man"

The guard checked his swing, the blood draining from his face. He sheathed his sword quickly and threw the blanket back over the still snarling wolf.

"Pass on then," the man growled. Gai bowed low by the wagon as did Sasuke in his seat, who then elbowed Naruto to do the same. Lee had been left behind to watch things just in case. Gai flicked the reins, and the rickety wagon rolled through the gates guarding the city of Konoha.

"That was too close," Naruto whispered once they were far from the gates. "And the worst part is yet to come." Gai chuckled. "Now how do we plan to find Iruka amongst all these people?"

"It's not that close. I am familiar with many of the places Iruka used to hide in as a child. Don't worry, we'll find him." The wolf made a huff of agreement.

"If you say so. I still don't understand why we have to break back _in _toprison." Sasuke glared.

"By breaking into prison and freeing the prisoners, you will allow Kakashi access to the Hokage unbothered by the guards trying to recapture their criminals, but with the Daimyo here, you will also cause Orochimaru to look incompetent as well."

"If you say so," Sasuke repeated. Gai smiled as he found a secluded spot to park the wagon. "Do you think it will work?"

"It has to. Now you two, stay here with Kakashi. If he changes form while I'm gone, you'll know the worst has happened. I'll be back before sunrise." He climbed off the wagon, and walked through the darkening streets of the city, feeling three sets of eyes upon him.

* * *

Kabuto stalked through the castle's empty dojo; most of his men off chasing after Orochimaru's wild geese. 'Spies indeed,' he thought sarcastically as he, all of a sudden, violently swung his extended fist at a helpless straw practice dummy, decapitating it in a flurry of hay.

After all of their time together, did Orochimaru still not trust Kabuto? If the Hokage thought that Yakushi Kabuto was to be taken lightly, the man was sadly mistaken. The sounds of a galloping heartbeat, running footfalls and panting reached his ears as he brutally dismembered the headless dummy, hacking and hacking.

A slight warming in the air told him that his visitor had arrived. He turned quickly, and the breathless gasp that answered him meant that his chakra scalpel had just missed the neck of Baki, his new aide-de-camp.

"Captain?" the man gulped as his already pounding heart sped up in fear. Kabuto smirked at him; fear was always good. "I bring news," his aide stammered, trying to control his fright. "We caught someone sneaking into one of the unused rooms in the western pavilion."

"An actual _spy_?" Kabuto blinked in surprise; it would be a shock to him if the Hokage were actually right about the Daimyo's tactics. He listened as Baki inevitably shook his head, the man.

"I-I'm not sure…" Baki sputtered.

"What do you mean 'you're not sure'?" Kabuto snarled.

"Some of the men recognized the boy. It's Umino Iruka."

"Umino…Iruka…they're absolutely sure?" Kabuto felt himself growing anxious, unable to help the amused grin. If it really _was _Umino Iruka, then the key to his future job's security had just fallen right into his lap.

"Yes, the men are sure it is him; it seems that he still has a few friends among the guards. He nearly got away. I'm told he fought like he dared anyone to kill him before he was knocked unconscious. I knew that you'd want to be informed before we brought him before the Hokage." Kabuto frowned slightly, seeing his future collapse around him with that possible action.

"No. The Hokage will be busy with the Daimyo," Kabuto said, justifying his apparent disobedience of orders. "Bring me the boy and tell the men to continue looking for spies," he commanded with a wave of his hand. He waited until Baki had bowed his way out of the dojo before baring his teeth in a savage and self-satisfied grin.


	12. Chapter 11

**Set in Motion**

Gai grinned as he watched from the shadows, four groaning guards were being helped from the western pavilion; it was the best evidence yet that he had found Iruka's location.

He had searched all the obvious places, but for some reason, Orochimaru had guards prowling all around the abandoned slums of Konoha. The darkness was slowly creeping towards morning rather than night, pressing Gai's need to get back to the boys and Kakashi when loud whispers caught his attention.

"I can't believe there was actually a spy! I bet the Captain will finally give us all promotions for this," someone said, Gai hid himself from the approaching guards.

"Ha! Like I'd believe the Captain would ever do anything like that!" a second sneered. Gai watched the two guards walked out of the pavilion and into the covered walkway carrying Iruka's bound and limp form.

"Do you really think he's a spy? I mean this is Umino Iruka. I mean everyone likes the guy and he's awfully nice to everyone back. He doesn't seem the type that would spy against Konoha."

'This isn't good,' Gai thought as he followed them with his eyes, allowing them to get a certain distance away from him before following them physically.

"Besides, why would the _Daimyo,_ of all people, spy on us anyway?" Hidden in the shadows, Gai nodded his agreement.

"You know better than to question orders. Besides, we _did_ catch him in a place that no one goes to anymore." Gai followed them stealthily, frantically formulating and discarding plans to rescue his friend.

He was thinking so hard, that he almost didn't notice that they were not heading for the dungeons or the grand audience room, but towards Orochimaru's rooms. His heart contracted with fear for Iruka.

"Why do you think that Kabuto countermanded the order to bring any spies directly to the Hokage?" Gai frowned, not knowing what to make of this information; but he knew that it did not make Iruka's situation any easier: he would have to be extremely careful if he had to rescue Iruka from Yakushi Kabuto.

"You know, you are never going to rise far in the ranks if you continue to ask all of these questions. Just do your job, and you'll be a whole lot happier." Gai left them to their argument, needing to find a place where he could listen in on Kabuto without being heard.

* * *

Orochimaru's "examine room" was jam-packed and cluttered, making it hard to move freely, much to Kabuto's annoyance. He became aware of the muffled heartbeat, and nearly soundless breathing just as the guards bearing the prisoner reached the door.

He snatched the screen open without waiting for them to knock, scaring them both. Kabuto barely listened as the surprised guards gingerly lay their burden on the floor and bowed their way out; he was trying to find the source of that hidden heartbeat.

'So, Orochimaru is right: there are spies in Konoha,' Kabuto thought. 'However, is it a spy for the Daimyo, as Orochimaru will claim; or a spy for Orochimaru himself?'

It actually wouldn't surprise him if Orochimaru was spying on him; but Kabuto didn't think the man was that suspicious of him. 'So, the spy is most likely from the Daimyo after all,' Kabuto resolved, 'and thus, no real threat to me.' After nearly 20 minutes of searching, however, he had turned up nothing. Kabuto ground his teeth in frustration.

A soft groan, a small shift in breathing and a rush of adrenaline halted his search. He smirked quietly as the boy wisely tried to feign unconsciousness. "Well, well, well. What have we here?" Kabuto asked nonchalantly, prodding his prisoner lightly with the tip of a kunai. "I know you're awake, boy." Kabuto smirked as the boy shifted away from poking kunai, hissing when his movement caused the ropes to tighten painfully. "I'd advise you not to squirm too much."

"Don't call me boy," Iruka growled, still struggling vainly against the tightening ropes. "What the fuck do you want from me?" he spat, obviously angry about his predicament. The soft gasp had Kabuto chuckling as he realized his prisoner recognized the room that they were in. He couldn't resist the urge to toy with the boy a little.

"Oh yes, I remember you, now, Umino Iruka," Kabuto said with a smirk. "I've been told that you are a very pretty _boy_," he emphasized the last word as he let the flat of his kunai's blade caress his prisoner's cheek. "A stubborn boy with little common sense," he let the kunai point drift lower, to rest over Iruka's rapidly beating heart, "who never knew how to check his temper. Even Hatake exasperated over your teachings." He smirked as his prisoner instinctively tried to inch away from the kunai. "I'm not sure why Orochimaru is so enamored with you; even if you are a pretty boy, you're hardly anything exceptional in skill. But I do know that he'll pay me whatever price I ask for you."

"So, you've become Orochimaru's ass wiper?" the boy said in a vain attempt to use sarcastic indifference to mask his growing, and obvious anxiety. "How pathetic," the boy said, his gruff voice taking on an almost sly, goading tone.

Almost without thought, Kabuto let his kunai point open a small seam in the skin along the boy's cheekbone, filling the room with the bright metallic tang of blood. The boy hissed his pain as Kabuto laughed at him. He carefully licked the blood from the blade with a smirk. "Very sweet," he taunted.

His victim's helpless defiance, fear and anger mixed with the strength of his pride tainted the very air to Kabuto's heightened senses, it was as if the boy were a wild thing caged, and it was an exhilarating combination.

"You are in no position to say anything to me in that tone of voice, Umino Iruka; after all, I could kill you without a thought." Kabuto punctuated his point by letting his kunai tip break the skin over the boy's collarbone. Whatever reaction to his threat he had been expecting from Iruka, the boy calmly relaxing into his bonds and baring his throat hadn't been one of them. Kabuto found it interesting that it was the unseen spy's heart that accelerated with fear and worry.

"Kakashi was right," the boy said in a snide tone of voice, bringing Kabuto back to the task at hand, "you're a bully and a coward."

"_I _am the Captain of Konoha's guard," Kabuto snarled in anger at the taunt, his cool mockery evaporating at the mention of the former captain's name. "Hatake Kakashi is _nothing_," he raised his hand, chakra scalpel flaring, fully intending to inflict serious damage to the insolent young man.

He noticed that his action did not induce the dread he was anticipating, just a feeling of expectant hopefulness from Umino, and quickly realized that the boy was trying to provoke him into killing him. Kabuto swiftly changed his strike, letting the weighted end of his kunai catch the boy on his upraised chin, causing him to groan again.

He would lose everything if he killed Umino Iruka. "Clever_boy_," he complimented dismissively, as he heard Baki's steps nearing the room. "But you're worth much more to me alive." The boy's anger, the sounds of clenching teeth and the tweaking of tightening ropes, was almost a physical thing. "What do you want, Baki?" he called before his aide could knock, ignoring his captive's anger.

"Sir, the Hokage wishes to see you immediately!" Baki called through the screen. Kabuto smirked. Orochimaru was probably in over his head again, and needing to be bailed out of whatever mess he had gotten himself into.

"Fine, Baki. Tell him I'll be there momentarily. I need time to make myself presentable. Also, I want you to post guards on this room. No one is to come in or out, unless I say so, not even the Hokage, am I understood? Let everyone know that the penalty for failure is death." Kabuto smiled as he heard the gasp his aide tried to hide as the man bowed his way from the door. That should discourage his cleverly hidden spy.

Kabuto waited in silence for the ordered guards to reach the room, ignoring the curses and threats from his prisoner. As the guards reached their post, he slid open the screen. Turning toward his 'guest,' he allowed himself to sneer.

"Don't move," he commanded the bound boy flippantly. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Fuck you!" Iruka snarled defiantly. Kabuto chuckled.

"Not now, but maybe when I return, if you're lucky." The boy's anger at the taunt made him try his luck against the ropes again. 'I really can't fault the Hokage for wanting to break this boy to his will,'Kabuto thought as he listened to his captive's snarls. 'But as always, Orochimaru overreaches himself.'

"I'm sure we'll have a lot more to discuss before I let Orochimaru know you're here." Again the boy's emotions didn't match Kabuto's expectations; yes, there was fear and helplessness, but there was also something indefinable, like the boy knew something that he himself didn't.

He pursed his lips, contemplating, but decided that he would be sure to find out what his captive thought he knew later; it wouldn't do to keep the Daimyo waiting.

He was about to close the screen when he noticed that the muffled heartbeat of the Daimyo's spy was gone.

* * *

Iruka hurt, his body was a mass of crisscrossed bruises and burns from the ropes. The blood drying on his face and chest was sticky, and his head ached from the earlier blow. Physical pain meant nothing to him, however; he had always taken pride in his own strength. Physical pain had never been anything more to him than an indication that he was alive.

Alive. He sighed, wondering how everything had gone wrong. Granted, planning wasn't his strong suit; Kakashi was the schemer. He sighed again at the thought of Kakashi, wishing nothing more than to let the man run his hand over his back in that damn annoying way of his, or hear the man call him 'idiot' or 'dolphin' again, or bite at his feet when he tried to sleep past dawn's twilight.

Iruka groaned. 'It's funny what you miss when you don't have it anymore,' he thought sadly.

He kept absolutely still, his eyes closed, almost dizzily aware of the spin of the earth beneath him. Despite the room's lack of windows, he knew that sunrise was agonizingly near; for the first time in over two years he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Hopefully, by the time that medical psychopath returned he would have figured a way out of the room; the only trace of him would be a coil of rope, some stolen clothes and perhaps a feather or two. Wouldn't Kabuto be surprised? He let out a low chuckle at the thought.

'And what will you do if you escape?' he asked himself. 'Where will you go?' That was the rub. He didn't know what to do now that his attempt at a grand gesture had failed: his death for the return of Kakashi to normal life. He didn't see any other way to atone for the hurt he had caused, to prove his love for the man.

Why had it taken him so long to realize that he loved Kakashi? Why had it taken a threat to Kakashi's life to open his eyes? Considering everything he had done to catch Kakashi's attention or gain his approval, shouldn't it have been obvious?

Perhaps Gai had been right, maybe he _was _selfish; but he couldn't go back to Kakashi as a failure. And he would never return to Orochimaru. Never. It seemed all of his choices had been taken away from him. He would escape from his bonds with the rising sun, and find a way to finish what he started.

* * *

Naruto paced fearfully by the wagon, waiting for Gai's return. The night was growing late, and the constant scrutiny by various patrolling guards did nothing to calm his nerves. Kakashi growled at him from under the blanket.

"That's easy for you to say," Naruto said crossly. "You aren't out here getting stared at by every guard in Konoha." The wolf snorted in what could only be called derision. As if his words had summoning power, Sasuke noticed a guard looking intently at them and the wagon again.

"Hey you," the man called out suddenly, making the boys jump. "Why are you just sitting there?" Naruto ducked his head to hide his face, trying to ignore the fact that he was probably making himself look more suspicious. "You! Yeah, you!" the man yelled, making sure he was heard. "I asked you a question." Naruto's mind froze and his heart pounded in his ears.

"Ah…I…um…heh…what, what?" he heard himself babble. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noted that Kakashi's growls had become more frightening. The guard pulled his sword from its scabbard and Naruto's felt his eyes widening.

"I told him to stay here while I looked for an inn," Gai's booming voice broke through the gloom. Naruto's knees went weak with relief as the tall wanderer stepped into the flickering torchlight. The guard's eyes narrowed.

"And you are?"

"The boys' uncle, sir. We came on behalf of our village with a gift for the Hokage." The guard nodded.

"Oh, I heard about you and your slow nephew." Naruto's squeak of indignation was cut off by Kakashi's menacing snarl. "You have a wolf in the wagon, huh?" Gai nodded politely, and the guard laughed. "Well you obviously won't find an inn tonight, not with all of these damned courtiers here. You can stay here for now, but you'll have to move your wagon by sunrise," the guard allowed generously.

Gai bowed low, elbowing Naruto to do the same, he didn't need to mind Sasuke. Kakashi became quiet in the wagon.

"Well thank you sir," he said to the man's retreating back.

"Slow?" Naruto spat between clinched teeth, "I'll show him who's 'slow'."

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

"Are you prepared to face close scrutiny by the guards, Naruto?" Gai asked quietly. "You know that the guards are still looking for you two. If people think you're slow, they will not even _look_ at you, afraid your affliction will somehow rub off on them."

Naruto sighed, letting the explanation soothe his wounded pride, knowing what Gai said was true. But he still didn't like it.

"Where's Iruka?" he mumbled trying to take his mind off the insult done to him. "Did you find him? He obviously hasn't killed himself," Naruto said with a pointed look at the wagon. Gai rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Iruka has been captured by Yakushi Kabuto," Gai said quietly. If Naruto had thought Kakashi's snarls had been menacing before, he had been sadly mistaken. The rickety wagon was shaking with the wolf's efforts to get free of his makeshift bonds.

Naruto couldn't really blame him; his one encounter with the creepy, medic man had been enough to stunt his own growth. "Kakashi, stop it!" Gai hissed. "Do you think I would have left Iruka there if he were in any immediate danger?"

The wagon stopped shaking, but the growling didn't cease. "Besides, Kabuto is with the Hokage and the Daimyo now, hunting him down and killing him would only give you away. The plan stays the same: Naruto and Sasuke will free as many prisoners as possible, I'll get Iruka, and you will both confront Orochimaru during the eclipse. We've come too far to change it now,"

The wolf stopped growling long enough to snort. "It was your plan to begin with." Kakashi made a disgusted sound that Naruto interpreted as 'I didn't hear you coming up with anything.'

"Let's get this over with. It's going to be dawn soon," Sasuke sighed as he turned his attention to the sky. "We should be going." The wolf poked his head out from under the blanket, his blue eyes glowing eerily in the torchlight. Gai nodded and enfolded them both in a hug.

"Good luck," he said quietly, ruffling Naruto's hair. "We're all counting on you guys, so be careful." Kakashi made a whining noise and gestured with his head for the boys to approach him; which the young thieves did cautiously, having spent most of their recent time trying to avoid being too close to Kakashi in his animal form.

The wolf looked them each directly in the eyes and pressed his nose up against them each in a kind of approval. Naruto petted the rough black fur between Kakashi's ears cautiously, afraid of taking liberties.

"If I don't see you again, thank you for saving our life," Naruto said for the wolf's ears alone. Kakashi gave him a wolf's open mouth smile, and a small cuff to the nose, before effectively dismissing him by returning under the blanket.

Gai was smiling at the scene. "Good luck to us all," Sasuke muttered to the Wanderer, "we're going to need it." They turned away, not looking back; retracing their steps back to a place they had never wanted to see again: the dungeons of Konoha.


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** So...this is it! The ending to the story...hm...there might be an epilogue wink but Tyger hasn't decided yet. I'd like to thank all those that reviewed this story, thank you soooo much, Tyger loved reading your comments and such and again, thanks you very much for them and devoting time to reading her story. Love youuus! Until next time, Tyger out! haha...Goodnes, I enjoyed writing this story.

* * *

**The Hardest Part  
**

The hole was small. In the summer, it swarmed with mosquitoes newly hatched from the stream that ambled beneath all of the buildings of the Hokage's estate and fed his personal lake, to enter the dungeon. In the winter, the bloodsucking bugs were replaced by near constant fog, formed from the very same stream.

It was, altogether an unpleasant hole; one that was left alone due to the fact that it _was_ small and unpleasant and it added such a nice extra evil to the dungeon's already evil atmosphere.

Unfortunately for the reputation of Konoha's dungeon, two of the many prisoners dwelling there had been just small enough, just flexible enough, to use the hole as a means of escape. Still, in the week since that escape, nothing had been done about the hole; the rationale being that no one else in the dungeon was capable of escaping that same way, and what fool would try to break _into_ the dungeons?

Naruto and Sasuke, naked and shivering in the cold pre-dawn air, waited on one of the dungeon's stilts, cursing themselves for being fools and wondering how they'd let Kakashi talk them into this idiocy.

They listened at the hole until they knew exactly how many guards were on duty and their exact locations, before silently cursing, wriggling, twisting and contorting their way back through the hole into the dreaded building.

They thanked the Kami that the Daimyo's visit meant there were few guards on duty as a loud gasp reached his ears. "Oi, Naruto," a voice hissed, "we thought you'd be dead by now. What the hell are you doing back here?" Sasuke glared at the brown haired young man called Genma as he took one of Kakashi's kunai from his teeth.

"Just for that, dumb ass, you're the last person I untie," Naruto hissed. "For your information, the Daimyo is here in Konoha, and we have a plan to make the Hokage lose face." There was wary murmuring from the prisoners tied in various torturous poses.

"You're lying," someone else whispered. "The Daimyo wouldn't have anything to do with little gutter-snipe thieves like you." A chorus of murmuring agreements met this statement. Naruto frowned in indignation.

"We're not lying and that's beside the point. I never said it was the Daimyo's plan. Hatake Kakashi is back in Konoha; he and Maito Gai plan to make sure that Orochimaru faces justice."

"Wait," Genma interrupted, "you know Hatake Kakashi, the former Captain? Tall man; single blue eye; gravity-defying silver hair?" Naruto nodded as the prisoners began muttering again. "…don't trust him…it's a trap…we'll all be killed… Maito and Hatake hate each other, why would they work together…"

"They are working together to help Umino Iruka…" Sasuke stated over the den of the doubters. Genma blanched at Iruka's name.

"Iruka was my friend," Genma told the two. "All of you shut up, and let the kids talk," Genma hissed. Naruto nodded to him gratefully, deciding that Genma wouldn't be the last freed after all, as the others quieted down.

"Look, we don't have a lot of time," Naruto told his captive audience. "I didn't have to come back here. Hell, no one in his right mind would come back here after escaping. But I don't know a person in here who wouldn't like to bring Orochimaru down, and I believe that this is the best way. I'm sure you've noticed that there are only a few guards here right now. If I cut you free, you can overpower them and escape," he turned to Genma, "and I'm not a kid."

"And how will this help bring Orochimaru down?" Genma asked, ignoring him and looking pensive.

"Since we'll have tied the guards up, we will be in control of_when_ the alarm sounds. Almost everybody will be long gone by the time Orochimaru knows anything is wrong; and we will make sure that the Hokage finds out in the middle of his important meeting with the Daimyo."

"I-I'm with Naruto-kun," a shy quiet voice floated from the back as the other prisoners started quietly debating among themselves. "What do we have to lose?" a pink haired girl practically shouted above the others as Naruto sliced through the ropes binding Genma. The man shook his limbs to get the blood flowing again.

"Our lives?" someone called, glibly. Someone else snickered. Sasuke cast a glare around the room, but the shy voice spoke again before he got the chance.

"O-Only if you call this 'living,'" Genma retorted sternly. There were murmurs of agreement, and if any of the other prisoners didn't want to escape, he hid it well.

* * *

If Kabuto cared to at the moment, he would be rolling his eyes. Every tatami mat in Konoha covered the plank floors of Orochimaru's large room of state, and he knew that if he moved even a few centimeters to the left, he would knock over some ridiculous arrangement of winter grasses that Orochimaru had insisted upon.

As it was, Kabuto had tuned out Orochimaru's droning recitation of some obscure Court welcoming poem, and instead focused all of his considerable attention upon the Daimyo, Jiraiya.

Kabuto could tell that the only part of Konoha's hospitality that impressed the emissary was the copious amounts of early morning sake, and as impassive as he seemed, if his bored expression and his teeth grinding meant anything, Jiraiya was impatient to get down to business.

However, despite the cloud of sake fumes rolling from the Daimyo, Kabuto, with his extensive medical knowledge, could tell that the man was not in the least impaired.

Much to the collective relief of everyone in the room, Orochimaru's long-winded ceremony wound to its conclusion after another quarter of an hour. Kabuto smirked to himself as everyone from the courtiers in Jiraiya's party to the geisha who'd been playing the shamisen subtly shifted and sighed.

"You are a follower of the latest trends, I see," Jiraiya's deep voice spoke out as the last note shivered out of existence. Kabuto stifled a sigh as he listened to Orochimaru smirk with who knows what at the acknowledgement of his 'Courtliness.'

Jiraiya's words had been polite, but the Captain of Konoha's guard could hear a trap being laid, and he cursed the day that he tied his fate to Orochimaru's.

"It is the duty of every civilized man to bring the beauty, art and manners of our glorious Emperor to the vulgar common people in the hinterlands," Orochimaru crooned.

"Ah, I see," Jiraiya said, and Kabuto was sure that he couldn't be alone in hearing the smirk in the Daimyo's voice. "I am but a simple soldier, Lord Orochimaru, rarely blessed with the opportunity to participate in such spectacle, often I am away from the city to deal with military problems," Jiraiya said in a falsely wistful tone. "I am quite discontented by the many rumors of treachery I have been hearing however. Would you care to explain yourself?"

The courtiers, scandalized, murmured behind their fans at the Daimyo's frankness. Kabuto bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing at Orochimaru's sputtered attempt at a response. If his future had not been bound to that of the Lord of Konoha, then he would have found Jiraiya's unseemly directness to be refreshing.

Kabuto was wondering exactly how he should step in to save Orochimaru's ass when the manor bell began to sing out, quickly echoed by the gongs and bells of Konoha's proper. The courtiers' murmurs grew louder; the Daimyo's demeanor, however, was amused.

"Kabuto!" Orochimaru hissed, Kabuto was already making his way toward the door however. He quickly slid back the screen, startling the guard who had been working up his courage to knock.

"Well, what is the alarm about?" Kabuto asked coldly as the guard bowed and struggled to regain his composure.

"Sir! More prisoners have escaped from the dungeon," the guard said tensely. "Baki is rounding up all of the guards who were searching for spies to go after them." Kabuto dismissed Orochimaru's hidden groan as it became obvious that the man was not finished.

"And?" the guard flushed with alarmed excitement.

"Sir, Captain Hatake Kakashi is here and has issued a challenge to the Hokage." Kabuto smirked, feeling the stirring of his own blood at young guard's words.

"This is all _his_ doing! Why didn't you kill him?" Orochimaru nearly roared at poor man. The Hokage smelled of fear and anger.

"My Lord, I have neither the rank nor the stature to accept a challenge from Captain Hatake…" Kabuto found himself frowning at the respect in the guards voice; it was long past the time that he removed the former Captain of Konoha's guard from this life.

The sight that met Orochimaru's, the Daimyo's and the courtiers' eyes as they filed out onto the wide, covered veranda that faced the estate's courtyard and lake, made the Hokage's blood run cold.

Hatake Kakashi, in full jounin attire, bowed at the waist toward the Daimyo, as he rose to a stand in the middle of the courtyard, one blue eye curved in a fake smile, the other revealed three tomes swirling in a sea of red as he revealed the Sharingan.

To the far side of the courtyard Kabuto was already making his way out. Orochimaru scanned the darkened shadows for a glimpse of the snow leopard that he knew should have been close by without success.

"I've been waiting for this day, Hatake Kakashi," Kabuto called out in a voice that carried over the excited whispers of the courtiers. "Your life was forfeit the moment you stepped foot within Konoha's borders. I'll glory in being the instrument that sends you to hell for breaking faith with the Hokage."

For a moment, Orochimaru was proud that the medic nin owed his allegiance to him; however, the Daimyo's deep, sarcastic voice brought him back to reality.

"He's a bit melodramatic, don't you think?" Jiraiya asked facetiously, raising his sake cup to his lips. Orochimaru ignored the irritating man as Hatake raised his arm, fingers curled around a kunai.

"Step aside, Yakushi Kabuto. Words of honor have no business in the mouth of a trash that kills for the joy of killing. No shinobi of honor would knowingly serve a Hokage who beggars his own people to enrich himself." Orochimaru found himself reddening with rage as Hatake's words, seemingly chosen to enflame Kabuto, filled the courtyard.

Kakashi directed his single blue glare at the Hokage. "Nor will I accept the justice of a man who abuses his power by threatening and murdering people under his care in order to force himself upon a child who had sense enough to reject him."

"He lies! I am the Hokage, why would anyone reject me?" Orochimaru found himself shouting, as all of his careful plans, along with his entire world crumbled around him. The Daimyo raised a derisive eyebrow as he unsheathed the shorter of his swords and handed it to the Hokage.

"Only a fool would proclaim such things in front of witnesses without evidence, Lord of Konoha. So, it becomes a trial by combat, a matter for the Kami to decide," Jiraiya said coolly. Orochimaru stared down at the surprisingly heavy wakizashi. "However, if your man loses, then you should do the honorable thing."

"Kill him, Kabuto!" Orochimaru shouted, ignoring the sword in his hand. His champion needed no urging. Kabuto leapt forward the invisible scalpel blades of chakra forming over his hand.

Orochimaru, of course, had known of Kabuto's skill with his abilities and his absolute ruthlessness; those were the reasons that he had made the medic nin the Captain of his guards in the first place.

However, having not seen the man battle for some time, he had not remembered, until now, the brutally efficient grace of the man. Twice the two Captains clashed, their blades clashing as hard as their wielders: striking, slicing and clashing as the two men battled.

Twice they separated; Kakashi's kunai deflecting Kabuto's barely visible blades enough to save his life, but not enough to avoid being wounded: a slash across his left thigh, and a slice across his right arm. Kabuto himself was unscathed.

Kabuto skidded to a halt at the far end of the courtyard and laughed. "Where is your talk of honor now, Hatake?" Kabuto asked mockingly. Kakashi said nothing, slouching in his posture slightly more in response. "Is this the best you can do?" Kabuto's voice turned deadly serious. "Then prepare to die, because my medical jutsu will end you now."

Orochimaru allowed himself a broad smile; too often he had been on the receiving end of Kabuto's teasing, and he knew that his Captain was now through toying with their enemy. Kabuto leapt forward as Kakashi sat motionless, shoulders wilted in defeat, waiting for his inevitable death.

Whatever taunt Kabuto shouted as he closed in on Konoha's former Captain was lost to the observers on the veranda. Suddenly, at the last possible second, almost quicker than the eyes could see, Kakashi spun to the side, using the movement to add momentum to his strike, sending Kabuto's head from his body like that of a insignificant criminal. Orochimaru blinked, his grin vanishing.

"Pathetic trash," Kakashi said into the awed silence that had fallen among the observers as Kabuto's body fell, twitching. He walked at an excruciatingly slow pace across the courtyard and up the shallow steps of the veranda. The Daimyo turned to Orochimaru.

"Well?"

Orochimaru, desperate under the aloof stares of the Daimyo and the courtiers, began to pray.

"Oni…Biju! Hear my plea. Enemies beset the heart of Konoha. As Konoha's master, I demand you lend me your strength to defeat our foes." The Daimyo drew his katana.

"You dare…" was all he got out as unexpectedly, the sun disappeared and the blanket of stars shone down upon Konoha.

The winter birds in the courtyard trees fell silent as screams and cries of desolation from those on the veranda, and from those in the city itself, greeted the newly formed night, and whispers of "…the Biju... the Biju has taken the sun…" reached Orochimaru's ears.

Several courtiers gasped and screamed again, and several began hurriedly scrambling away from the far side of the veranda and the huge, one tailed, sand raccoon Shukaku, who had manifested himself there with a roar and swinging of his massive tail. Orochimaru smiled triumphantly: there was no one who could stand against him now.

* * *

Iruka loping gracefully, paws pounding against the hard earth, let out an undignified squawk of surprise as he felt the change come upon his body. He had become intimately attuned to the passage of time over the past two years, and knew that it was _much_ too soon in the day for this to be happening.

Something was wrong.

He quickly hid himself in an alley, it would be silly, embarrassing and utterly pointless of him to continue moving on at this point..

The change itself, usually a near instantaneous one, was slow but completed, he looked around the room with human eyes, searching for a way to complete his interrupted task. As he had changed, he'd heard the alarm bells and gongs and listened as those guarding the door had been called away, so he knew that he wouldn't be interrupted.

This being Orochimaru's examining room, he knew that there was bound to be a knife or two here, somewhere; the man didn't trust anyone enough for there not to be one.

The room was more cluttered than he remembered it being, but he easily found Orochimaru's knife. He sighed as he picked it up, wondering briefly how to make the most of his death. He quickly decided that Orochimaru finding his bloody corpse on his examination table wouldn't cause the Hokage to lose _much_ face; he would definitely need witnesses.

Iruka quickly put on the 'borrowed' yukata, pausing hesitantly for a moment before pulling the silver chain off and upon sliding the door open, started in surprise. Gai stood there, dirty and in normal clothes no less, looking just as surprised as Iruka felt, hand raised to open the door.

"Iruka," the wanderer panted as he grabbed Iruka's wrist. "I'm so glad... we need to hurry, now."

"Gai, what are you doing here?" Iruka asked, trying to take his arm back. Gai blinked, grip not lessening one bit. "I have to do this. Don't try to stop me…"

"Iruka, you don't understand. Kakashi is here in Konoha. If you can get to him in time, the curse will be broken."

"And if I kill myself, the curse will be broken… you know what I did, what I said to him, Gai. It's better this way."

"Iruka, the eclipse is happening now! You wouldn't be human right now if you and Kakashi didn't love each other! Kakashi_loves_ you," Gai seemed to rush slightly over the words, "and this is the only chance you'll ever have to set things right, to make sure justice is done, but you can't be afraid to take a chance." Gai's voice deepened, losing all of its politeness as he glared at the knife. "_My_ Iruka would never take such an easy way out." Iruka flinched at the accusation, and examining the words from all angles and rapidly came to a realization.

"Kakashi isn't the only one in Konoha who loves me, is he?" he asked quietly. Gai smiled sadly and shook his head.

"You made your choice two years ago, when you went to him for help. And I think…I think you made the right decision. I just want to see you happy." Iruka kissed his friend's cheek to ease the shimmer of sadness he saw in the Green Beast's eyes.

"Maybe in another lifetime," he whispered softly, then squared his shoulders. Too many people had sacrificed too much for him as it was. He vowed that their sacrifices would not be in vain. "All right then, Gai, let's finish this," he said resolutely, sweeping his way from the room.

"Maybe in another lifetime," he thought he heard Gai whisper from behind him.

* * *

Kakashi ignored the scowling, floating sand demon at his back. His right wrist was held in his left, the chirping of a thousand birds making itself known as he gathered chakra and stalked forward with death in his eyes. "The Daimyo has offered you an honorable death. I would take it if I were you Orochimaru. If I kill you, you will die like the trash you are."

The Hokage looked down upon the Daimyo's wakizashi in his hand and laughed.

"My friend and I," he said, pointing at the demon, "don't think you will do it, Hatake. You already know _his_ wrath. Besides, if you kill me, the curse will _never_ end. You really must think of Iruka."

"Iruka is dead!" Kakashi growled, raising his sword further. "Didn't you hear? Before he died, Kabuto said that he had killed him!" He stepped menacingly toward Orochimaru. "The curse is over!" Kakashi's dashed forward, chidori raised. Orochimaru stood still, his eyes wide with shock.

"Kakashi, no!" Gai's voice screeched into the silence of the court.

"Hatake, stop!" a soft voice that he hadn't heard with his human ears in over two years, that he never thought he would hear again on this side of life, growled from behind him in the same instant.

Kakashi's chakra charged hand halted in its course inches away from Orochimaru's heart, singing the cloth and flesh, but Kakashi didn't turn around, or move from his stance. He watched Iruka's progress by the width of Orochimaru's widening eyes, and the indrawn breaths of the courtiers.

A soft, sliding touch on his right arm was his only indication that Iruka had reached him. He didn't take his eyes off of Orochimaru, however.

"Kakashi," Iruka sighed the name like an entreaty for Kakashi's ears alone as he pulled Kakashi's arm down and back to his side, the chakra fading away from nerveless fingers.

Kakashi watched as the young man passed him, back straight, form perfect, watching as the too short yukata exposed the chuunin's calves. The disk of the Moon god, now sliding from the face of the Sun goddess, was less graceful than Iruka at that moment.

The birds greeted the second dawn of the day as the stars slowly faded from the sky.

Orochimaru watched, hope warring with despair in his heart, as Umino Iruka slipped a kunai from Kakashi's side with a small smile. The young man was taller than he remembered, and wearing an obviously stolen yukata with his hair down, he looked better than any dream could have foretold in the strangely crisp half-light of the returning sun.

Unfortunately Orochimaru's gaze strayed from the beauty before him to the hard eyes of Hatake Kakashi, whose presence in Konoha ended the curse. However, the silent biju, huge, one tailed and hideous, watching, arms crossed over his chest in the vacated corner, reassured him that he was still the master of Konoha and _everything_ in it; that not Hatake, not even the _Daimyo _could oppose his will in the seat of his power. He vowed to deal with the insufferable envoy once Hatake was taken care of.

His awareness focused on Iruka's sparkling brown eyes as the teacher gazed at him through his sooty lashes. Orochimaru couldn't help but smile; he had been right of course, all of those years ago, when he had first seen the boy. Iruka was one of those extremely rare people whose suffering and sorrow made them transcendently beautiful. Everyone on the veranda held his or her breath.

Orochimaru's heart continued to pound in his chest as Iruka bowed gracefully before him, giving him his due as his lord. "Iruka, I always knew that you would return to where you belonged: to me, in Konoha," he whispered. The hard look in Iruka's sable eyes brought him up short.

"No," Iruka's surprisingly deep voice rolled into the ensuing silence; Orochimaru's heart tried to stop. "After all that you've done to me, to us; I'll _never_ come back to you, Orochimaru. I came to see justice done for my uncle's death, and for all of those you wrongly imprisoned or hurt to force me into your arms; and to give you this," the young man opened his clenched fist and let the silver chain dangle from between his fingers. "I don't think I'll need this anymore." And so saying, he dropped the chain collar to the ground at Orochimaru's feet, and turned toward Kakashi.

Uncontrollable rage swept over Orochimaru as he watched the silver chain fall into a coiled pile. '_How dare he reject me in front of the Daimyo and his court? How dare he reject me at all? I _am_ the master of Konoha! I would have given him everything he could have ever wanted!' _The Daimyo's wakizashi was heavy in his hands. "If I can't have you, then no man can," he muttered angrily, raising the short sword.

Iruka turned and smiled his most brilliant smile at Kakashi. It was over; he had faced his worst fear and brought him low before the eyes of the whole court. They had won; he loved Kakashi, and Kakashi loved him, and now they would be together, able to explore what that love meant.

Iruka breathed a happy sigh. A look of surprised fury crossed Kakashi's masked face and he heard both Naruto and Sasuke yelling, "Iruka, look out!" and "Behind you, Iruka!" He turned swiftly, swinging Kakashi's kunai in a deadly arc that slashed open Orochimaru's abdomen, spilling the surprised Hokage's intestines and blood to the tatami covered floor.

But, he was too slow, too late. The cool, stinging bite of the short sword across his neck took his breath, and the adrenalin-fueled pounding of his heart pumped hot blood down his chest as he stumbled into Kakashi's waiting arms. They sank slowly to the ground together.

"Idiot! Baka Dolphin!" the older man yelled at him in a hoarse voice. "What is the first rule of defense!?" Iruka tried to chuckle in spite of his pain and the sudden lack of air: how like Kakashi to think of defense at a time like this.

"I'm dying, and all you can say is 'What's the first rule of defense?'" Iruka whispered, raising an eyebrow. He was growing colder, numb, as his life's blood slowed and his vision darkened, narrowing to Kakashi's stricken look.

Iruka hurried to reassure him. "I know…I know…never turn your back to an enemy…You are _so_ practical… I've always loved that about you, Kakashi…"

"You can't die. You're to stubborn to die, remember?" Kakashi whispered, holding Iruka close to his chest, rocking him gently and kissing him deeply, despite the blood.

Iruka smiled weakly.

"This isn't fair…I don't want to die," Iruka said breathlessly, bringing a bloody hand up to caress his love's cheek. "But I don't think that will work this time, Hatake." Kakashi's hand was hot on his cooling skin as the man took the kunai from his suddenly unfeeling fingers.

"You," Kakashi's voice was a tight controlled growl in Iruka's ear as the man pointed his kunai at Shukaku. The courtiers gasped at his audacity. "You hid the sun, you were behind our curse and you can save his life."

"You are very brave, little mortal, to think to threaten me. However, I cannot do as you demand," the biju answered, in a voice that sounded like a rumble of thunder that scared awakening birds from the trees.

"Cannot or will not?" The biju laughed, but did not answer the question.

"Clever, mortal. Umino Iruka was fated to die today. However, his choices lead to the downfall of a tyrant. His death is a noble one; in the end, there is nothing more that anyone can ask for." Iruka gasped as all feeling left his body, drawing Kakashi's immediate attention back to him.

"Kakashi, as long as you are here with me, I am not afraid," he whispered. He sighed as his eyes fluttered close. "I…always…loved...you…Kakashi…"

The howl of the Hound of Konoha was the last thing in his ears…

The Hokage of Konoha's death was long and drawn out, for no one would do him the honor of killing him mercifully; the biju, waiting for that moment, took his soul to hell.

And of course you know that the Hound, being devoted to his friend, gently straightened the young man's body and said so that all assembled could hear.

"What has happened to my thoughts since I knew you? That is easy. Until I knew you, I had no thoughts," and then committed seppuku on the spot. The end.

**Haha…just kidding, you thought I would leave it like that?!**

* * *

Iruka turned and smiled his most brilliant smile at Kakashi. It was over; he had faced his worst fear and brought him low before the eyes of the whole court. They had won; he loved Kakashi and Kakashi loved him and now they would be together, able to explore what that love meant.

Iruka breathed a happy sigh. A look of surprised fury crossed Kakashi's face, and he heard both Naruto and Sasuke yelling: "Iruka, look out!" and "Behind you, Iruka!" He turned swiftly, throwing Kakashi's kunai without thinking, as he'd seen Kakashi himself do several times during their exile together.

The Hokage's eyes widened in surprise as the sword caught him in throat and pinned him to one of the poles holding up the roof of the veranda. The Daimyo's untarnished wakizashi fell to the floor with a clatter.

"Why?" Orochimaru whispered into the absolute stillness on the veranda as his life's blood ran from his neck and mouth. "I would...have...given you...anything, Iruka."

The biju, hideous and grotesque, roared and gnashed his predatory teeth, causing everyone on the veranda and in the courtyard to jump. Iruka was pulled into the protective circle of Kakashi's arms as Shukaku swung his tail and smashed it into Orochimaru's dying body.

A high-pitched wailing shriek could be heard as the biju dragged Orochimaru's spirit to hell.

Iruka, unknowingly shaking, felt himself sag into the warmth of Kakashi's arms.

"Idiot! Baka Dolphin!" the older man yelled at him in a tight voice. "What is the first rule of defense!?" Iruka couldn't help it, he started to laugh; how like Kakashi to think of defense at a time like this.

"'Never turn your back on an enemy,' " Iruka quoted in his best Hatake Kakashi imitation.

"Baka," Kakashi growled as he turned the young man to face him, without letting him go. "Who told you that you could do something as stupid as throwing the kunai? What would have happened if you had missed?"

"You do it all the time!" Iruka protested.

"That's because, unlike you, I know what I'm doing!" Kakashi yelled, shaking the chuunin a bit, still not letting him go. Iruka was about to spit out an angry, blistering retort, when he looked down at Kakashi's hands on his arms, and chuckled.

They were human, together, and no silly argument would change that fact. He looked up into Kakashi mismatched eyes and saw the worry, anger and frustration there, and not caring that the entire court was watching them, stepped forward into Kakashi's arms, and kissed him.

"I love you, Kakashi," he murmured against the older man's lips. "I've always loved you." Kakashi's arms tightened around him, and the kissed deepened. A cheer arose from the courtiers on the veranda, and the two lovers separated.

"I love you too, dolphin; but if you ever do anything that foolish again, I'll kill you myself," Kakashi said with a rakish grin.

The Daimyo, appointed the Green Beast to be the next Hokage of Konoha; and the newly appointed Hokage immediately adopted the two thieves, thus assuring that Konoha would have wise and compassionate leadership for the foreseeable future. The Green Beast's first official act as Hokage was to free all of the prisoners - starting the ancient tradition of freeing prisoners during an eclipse.

* * *

_"The lovers moved away from the city of Konoha proper, to a small farm on Mt. Fire, and lived a life full of arguments, happiness, sex and love. In the fullness of time, after they had both died of old age, the people of Konoha turned their modest home into a shrine, so that they would never forget the sacrifice that was made to free the prefecture from Orochimaru's evil rule. The end..." Kakashi leaned back with a slight sigh, the silence in the air after he'd finished the story sounded deafening in his ears._

"_I think you missed your calling, Sensei. You definitely should have been a story teller." Sakura smiled earnestly towards her jounin instructor. Her fingers were now entwined tightly with Sasuke, the sight brought a slight pang to Kakashi's heart though he smiled brilliantly at the pink haired girl_

"_Maa….I'm not nearly as good as Minato-sensei was.," Kakashi chuckled quietly. _

"_But Kakashi-sensei! That was awesome!" Naruto all but shouted._

"_N-Naruto-kun! Y-you shouldn't shout in the h-hospital!" Hinata patted his hand, pulling the boy back into his seat from his bouncing._

"_Dobe, your voice could wake the dead."_

"_What did you call me teme!"_

"_SILENCE!" Sakura roared before the fight could progress any further._

_Kakashi watched the genins, laughter in his eyes as he glanced down at his comatose lover, hand squeezing the teacher's limp one briefly._

_Mismatched eyes widened when there was a responding squeeze._

_Sasuke was the first to notice Kakashi's frozen state, "Kakashi-sensei?"_

_All eyes immediately turned to the bed._

"_Iruka-sensei!" everyone all but screamed, all save for the jounin who had frozen in place, mismatched eyes boring down on the frail body as if he didn't quite believe what he was seeing._

"_R-Ruka?" he whispered hoarsely, "Y-you're really awake Ruka?"_

_Brown eyes fluttered open, shutting several times before finally resting on Kakashi with heavy lidded eyes. Iruka managed a smile through his grimace. The genins had all but dashed out the door to get Tsunade and spread news of their beloved academy teacher's awakening._

_The jounin helped Iruka sit up slightly, Kakashi, knowing full well the lectures he was going to receive, slid into the bed behind the once comatose man. He settled himself comfortably with Iruka in his arms._

_The widest, silliest grin was plastered over his face as he hugged his lover close._

_The sound that came from Iruka's rumbling chest, an odd mixture between coughing and chuckling erupted from the chuunin's lips, "K-Kashi…y-yea, I'm…really awake." His voice was parched, cracked and croaking, but he was alive in Kakashi's arms and the jounin wanted nothing more then that from the man right now._

"_Ruka, I missed you so much." He whispered. The tender moment was broken as Tsunade and Shizune burst into the room, followed closely behind by the four genins who were in turn apparently followed by about half the village._

_Kakashi raised his eyebrow at the commotion, watching bemused as all those people tried to fit into the room and see _his_ sensei._

"_ALL OF YOU OUT! THIS IS A HOSPITAL AND I WILL NOT HAVE ALL THIS NOISE!! IF YOU ALL AREN'T GONE IN THREE SECONDS I SWEAR YOU WON'T GET A CHANCE TO SEE IRUKA-SENSEI AT ALL!!" Tsunade bellowed from her place by Iruka's bed. Kakashi thoughtfully placed his hands over the chuunin's ears._

_It was surprising how fast the room emptied. All that was left was Naruto clinging fearfully to Hinata and Sasuke and Sakura taking a slight step backwards together._

"_Hm…well it seems you've managed to pull through sensei. Everything has pretty much stabilized, the hardest part was waking up after all."_


	14. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Roar! Okie...well Tyger got around to writing up a epilogue for yous, but she thinks it's rather crappy...meh...oh well, back to studying for final exams, sigh...

* * *

**Epilogue**

It was raining in Konoha, not that Iruka minded much. The chuunin liked the rain after all, loved to hear it, to feel it. But now really wasn't the time to be enjoying the rain.

"Ruka…" a hoarse voice croaked from the bedroom. Iruka chuckled, shaking his head lightly as he poured the hot soup into a bowl for his sick lover.

"I'm coming Kakashi!" the tan chuunin rolled his eyes as he entered the bedroom, the large bed covered with ninken and blankets. Iruka grinned at the gray shock of hair poking out from beneath the covers and scooted his way around the canines to get to Kakashi's side.

"Here," Iruka set the bowl on the nightstand, helping the jounin sit up, "Made you eggplant miso!" he smiled comfortingly. He'd purposefully made his lover's favorite; it wasn't often that the jounin was sick. In fact, nearly all the jounin had been hit with some flu. Iruka had taken a few days off to care for Kakashi since he knew how much the other hated the hospital.

Kakashi gave Iruka a tired smile; his pale skin was flushed from fever as he accepted the bowl, "Thanks." He hated getting sick, but then again, with the chuunin by his side, it didn't seem as bad as it used to be.

It didn't take long before Iruka was fussing over him again. Kakashi had had as much as the soups as he could and then the teacher was pushing him back down under the mountain of blankets.

"Ruka?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me a story!"

Iruka blinked, "A story?"

"Yup!"

"Er…sure I guess, what story do you want to hear?"

"Oh anything you have in mind. You're a teacher, don't you know a lot of stories?"

"…"

"You don't!"

"Well…I think I know of one…can't really remember where I heard it before though."

"Tell me…."

"Gee…yes master."

"Ha! I should make you read Icha Icha!"

"Oh hell no! I'm telling you the one I'm thinking about, stop pouting."

"Fine…."

Iruka chuckled, looking down at his sleepy jounin. With a shake of his head, he lifted the blankets and snuggled down beside Kakashi.

"Now let's see….how did it go…"

"You don't remember?"

"Kakashi, do you want to hear the story or not!"

"I love you Ruka!"

Iruka rolled his eyes, 

"_Now, once upon a time...A lone dark blue eye swept across the cityscape, the face it was thus attached to followed it as he stood atop a cliff looking down upon the hidden village of Konoha. The figure itself would have been unremarkable were it not for the dark black mask that covered half the man's face and the silky matching scarf that obscured his left eye from view…"_


End file.
